Behind the Protest Uniform of the Black Panther Party in 'Judas and the Black Messiah'

While there have been various signifiers of protest fashion over the years, perhaps none have been as emblematic as the militant beret-topped uniform of the Black Panther Party. Costume designer Charlese Antoinette Jones was tasked with recreating the revolutionary look for Judas and the Black Messiah, now in theaters out today on HBO Max.

After witnessing the growth of Black Lives Matter last summer into the largest movement in U.S. history, it feels like a movie about the Black Panther Party could be reflexive to the times, however, Judas and the Black Messiah was in the works two years before BLM reached global recognition. A story that resonates at any recent point in our country’s history of racial injustice, but especially now, the biographical film depicts the true story of Fred Hampton, chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his assassination by the FBI at 21 years old. The movie is driven by a stunning (and Golden Globes-nominated) performance by Daniel Kaluuya, who plays Hampton, along with Lakeith Stanfield’s fraught Bill O’Neal, the FBI informant who betrays him.

To fashion the men into these real-life figures, Jones worked closely with Director and Writer Shaka King, a friend and collaborator. In fact, she got wind of the project before it was even green lit, and she says she was already researching the Panthers for a TV show at the time, so it felt serendipitous. Once in production, Jones immersed herself into image sourcing for the 1969 set film. “There were a lot of journalists covering the protests and the movement that was happening during that time, specifically with the Panthers,” she tells L’OFFICIEL. “So we have a lot of images and documentary footage—way more than I thought. I was very surprised how many documentaries there are about the Panthers and the Young Patriots and the Young Lords meeting.” Some specific titles she watched include The Murder of Fred Hampton, Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, and The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution.

Jones also looked at Life, Ebony, and GQ magazines and department store catalogues from around 1969 to inform the fashion of the film. She wanted to stay as true to the period as possible, so for background characters in the movie, the costume designer found herself pulling inspiration from real-life people spotted in photographs. “There’s tons of photos of Panther headquarters and women whose names we may never know in the background,” Jones says. “And some of our female characters are based on pictures of those kinds of women.”

The costumes were sourced from deadstock vintage pieces and rentals, with Jones building a few choice looks herself, including a recreation of the robe that Hampton’s girlfriend, Deborah, wears as she’s arrested. While she says not many creative liberties were taken when it comes to dressing for the period, there was one exception. “The first time we see O’Neal, the church coat is not a correct silhouette for the ‘60s,” Jones shares. “That was a creative choice because he’s walking down the street and the coat is billowing behind, but most of the coats at that time were hip-length.” The costume designer says the piece is based off a ‘60s body in the fit of the shoulders and sleeves, but ultimately is more ‘80s or ‘90s in length to fit in with the vision of the script.

Jones found that King encouraged this kind of experimentation. Because the pair had worked together before on some independent projects, they already had rapport, which helped Jones to push her direction with the costumes.

“It was kinda like runnin' and gunnin' from the moment I started, [but Shaka and I] have this shorthand with each other. I know what he likes and what excites him. And the things that excite him often are the same things that excite me—a lot of color, really pushing the envelope with textures and patterns and prints. That’s why I think the movie looks so rich. Because he's not afraid of [those elements], and neither was Sean Bobbitt, the [Director of Photography]. I think it really shows on-screen because the two of them were really open to the colors and prints of the ‘60s.”

The details aren’t lost on the audience. Amidst the rich color palette and textures of the time, there are also several key accessories that complete the revolutionaries’ looks. The primary one is, of course, the beret. Jones found different styles from a costume house and military clothing supplier, and assigned them to the different groups—the Panthers wore the classic black, the Young Patriots wore tan, and the Young Lords (a Chicago street gang-turned-civil rights organization) wore purple.

In addition to the emblematic headwear, buttons and patches adorned the activists’ clothing and berets. Jones worked with the art department to recreate the graphics and slogans based on images of what people were wearing at the time, such as the “Free Fred Hampton” pin. The founder of the Young Lords, Jose Cha Cha Jimenez, even visited set and gave Jones the original button from his organization, which she replicated for the movie.

As a Black creator herself, this project carries significance not only for the history of Jones’ community but for its future, too. More Black filmmakers are telling their stories, educating, enlightening, and calling others to action through their work. Jones especially seeks to amplify Black voices in the fashion and entertainment spaces. In addition to her career as a costume designer, Jones also owns a jewelry line, Char Ant Gold, and is the founder of Black Designer Database, a community for Black designers to connect with new clients and media opportunities.

Reflecting back on the fashion in Judas and the Black Messiah, Jones notes that while the Black Panthers’ uniform offers a distinct historical marker of how the Black community has shaped contemporary fashion, the overall time period was rich with various social and cultural influences. “There were so many counter-culture styles emerging,” she says. “You had hippies, you had bohemians, you had the Panthers and various other political organizations that had uniforms, and it was just an amazing time in establishing what is modern in American clothing.”