How ‘Sinners’ Honors 1930s Black Southern Style Through Costume

Ryan Coogler’s original Southern Gothic film ‘Sinners’ (2025), is equal parts horror-thriller, romance epic, and Black heritage homage. Set in 1932 Mississippi, against the backdrop of Jim Crow–era racism and the birth of blues music, ‘Sinners’ follows the story of twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both portrayed by Michael B. Jordan), as World War I veterans who return home to open a juke joint. However, their business venture becomes a battleground against white supremacy and supernatural forces when vampires, who feast on more than just blood, threaten their small town community. 

Beyond the film’s passionately grotesque narrative, ‘Sinners’ stands out for its historically authentic costume design, which resurrects 1930s Black Southern style. Black fashion at this time was influenced by economic conditions and social trends. It included cinch waist dresses and shapely silhouettes for women and tailored suits with various accessories like hats, watch chains, and tie clips for men. Afrocentric styles with headwraps and natural hair, and zoot suits were also becoming popular. As well as repurposing materials using flour sacks and patchwork techniques to create inexpensive garments.

Two-time Academy award winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter, known for her work on ‘Black Panther,’ styles the film’s characters through their myriad of transformations. Since the premiere, her designs have been praised for their attention to detail and for contributing significantly to the film’s immersive feel. 

“I wanted people to see the Mississippi Delta, and I wanted them to see the story of the blues,” Ruth told “Harper’s Bazaar“. “Now that it’s rolling out, people are seeing this is more than just a horror film and that it has all of these layers.” 

Paired with Coogler’s original dialogue and themes, the costumes serve a larger purpose than just clothing the actors. They have a story of their own and work as silent but intentional narrative tools to support the archival research and character development. The result is a wardrobe that reflects the resilience, spirituality, and creativity of Black southerners during the Great Depression. Take the characters Stack and Smoke for instance.

Though the twin protagonists share blood, their visual identities tell distinct stories. Stack, the meticulous and polished brother, is styled in sharp 1920s-era Chicago tailoring and wears double-breasted suits, perfectly sculpted red fedoras, and shiny gold accessories like collar bars and cufflinks.

“He’s very self-conscious and plans every little detail,” Ruth told “Harper’s Bazaar.” Aside from showcasing individuality, his wardrobe speaks to ambition, respectability, and a desire to stand out in a world that refuses to see Black men fully.

By contrast, Smoke is understated and wears a toned-down suit, rolled cuffs, and a blue denim cap. He’s portrayed as the working man, the “everyman,” blending in seamlessly with characters like his sharecropping cousin Sammie, the local shopkeepers Bo and Grace Chow, and his estranged wife, Annie.

For all the characters, Ruth explained that she chose an Americana (red, white and blue) color palette and found inspiration in old American paintings and photography by Eudora Welty, who captured still life images of Black families in the South during the 1930s. She was struck by the dignity and simplicity in the way Black Southerners carried themselves despite limited means. Because of this she made a conscious effort to keep the costuming and mending minimal. 

“I told my background costumers that they couldn’t do any alterations,” Ruth said in the interview. “If something was big, it had to stay big. If something was long, you had to turn the cuff up because that’s what they did. [And] we made sure everybody was sweaty because down south it’s hot during the day and it’s hot at night. I was constantly getting my costumers to come to set with a sweat bottle and making sure everybody had that texture.” 

No one embodies the texture of the South more than the character Annie, portrayed by Wunmi Mosaku. A Hoodoo practitioner and spiritual guide, Annie’s wardrobe blends 1930s working-class silhouettes with spiritual iconography. She uses her spirituality to shape her fashion choices, most significantly with her color choices. She wears Haint Blue almost from head to toe, combining chunky beaded necklaces with an ankle-length plaid-patterned dress and a weathered leather corset. 

Haint Blue is used in the African Hoodoo faith and is derived from Voodoo and Ifá–the traditional Yoruba religion. Today, it’s still used by the Gullah Geechee communities in the South. The color is believed to ward off evil spirits known as “haints” and “boo hags,” a supernatural creature, often depicted as a witch or vampire. 

Carter says that including these visual details helps prove that ‘Sinners’ is more than just another horror flick. It adds depth to the movie and spotlights the cultural relevance of various Black spiritual communities.

“She’s hoodoo, she’s voodoo. She’s of African diasporic tradition,” Ruth told 21Ninety. “She’s every part of where our origin story led us in terms of our religious practices.”

Ruth’s work on the film offers a masterclass in how clothing can deepen narrative stakes and adds another facet of audience engagement into filmmaking. By weaving in history, spirituality, and character, the costumes in ‘Sinners’ become a living archive which resurrects not only the style of 1930s Black Southern communities, but the spirit that sustained them.