The movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever won an Oscar for best costume design. In the film, Queen Ramonda, played by Angela Basset, wears a crown 3D printed by Materialize in Leuven. The necklace she is wearing also comes from the Leuven 3D printers. Both are printed with laser sintering (SLS).
Lavish costume designs take center stage in Marvel’s superhero film, blending tradition and Afrofuturism to represent Wakanda’s unique civilization – technologically advanced but also deeply rooted in African culture. The crown and necklace worn by the lead actress were designed by Julia Koerner in collaboration with Costume Designed Ruth E. Carter. 3D printing offered freedom of form for the complex jewellery, especially the structure of the crown. At the same time, it was important to keep the crown wearable. The end result is a crown that is light enough and at the same time sufficiently stiff. Both jewelry from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever are 3D printed at Materialize in Leuven.