Visually, when you think of the Black Panther Party, the organization founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966 that advocated for the protection and uplift of Black communities across the U.S., you think of black berets, leather, and black sunglasses. But despite the organization’s meaningful impact, the look can sometimes feel like a novel costume for anyone who wants to telegraph Black pride and power.

Charlese Antoinette Jones, the costume designer behind Judas and the Black Messiah, a film depicting how FBI informant, William O’Neal, infiltrated the Illinois Black Panther Party and helped in the assassination of its chairman Fred Hampton, wanted to fight against that by being true to the time and capturing the nuances of their attire.

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