When students at the University of Texas at Austin came together to celebrate the premiere of Marvel’s “Black Panther,” the outfits were arguably good as the movie itself.

Story by Lauren Cook and Autumn Sanders

The event, hosted by black student organizations, brought together students from all over campus seeking to celebrate black and African cultures the same way the movie did. Students took inspiration from the characters and from their own personal cultures for their outfits.

Sophomore Eloise-Emmanuella Taha, who is from the Ivory Coast, described her African-inspired outfit. “My headpiece is called a “pagne” but in English it can be referred to as a “wrapper’ or just ‘Ankara,’” Taha says. “[It’s] from Côte d’Ivoire. My inspiration for the outfit was just to find a way to incorporate the fabric I had into a chic and bold ensemble. My makeup was inspired by various traditional face paints I’ve seen, but just wanted to keep it simple.”

Photos courtesy of Eloise-Emmanuella Taha

Freshman N’khya Salahud-Din wore an outfit that was inspired by the titular character. “I wanted my makeup to be colorful, and pop with my black jumpsuit,” freshman N’khya Salahud-Din says. “I wanted to go with all black because of the character T’Challa. His costume was so detailed and really inspired me.”

Photos courtesy of N’khya Salahud-Din

Senior Rachel Obimah decided to represent her cultural background at the premiere by wearing a dress that was made by her aunt back in Nigeria. Complete with a red carpet, the event allowed students an occasion to get all dressed up and celebrate seeing their identities represented in a blockbuster film. You can see all the outfits by searching the hashtag #GonetoWakanda on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of Rachel Obimah