Culture, Art & Creativity at the 96th Annual Academy Awards

This year’s Oscars sparked a nuanced conversation about where fashion, sustainability and culture meet. Beyond the glamour, several looks told deeper stories of heritage, craft and representation.

Look 01

Art on the Gown: Atelier Jolie and Chaz Guest

One standout moment came from Angelina Jolie’s label, Atelier Jolie, which created a custom gown for writer and artist Suleika Jaouad. It carried an illustration by artist Chaz Guest of her husband, Jon Batiste, conducting an orchestra, painted in the style of sumi-e.

Sumi-e is known for its minimalism, capturing the essence of a subject in just a few expressive brushstrokes of black ink. Guest’s use of it brought a striking, culturally rich dimension to the gown, and a meeting of fashion and fine art on one of the world’s biggest stages.

Look 02

Made in Kampala: Uganda on the Carpet

Bobi Wine and his wife, Barbie Kyagulanyi, attended the Oscars for Bobi Wine: The People’s President, the film about his political journey nominated for Best Documentary Feature. They made their own statement by wearing clothing designed and made in Kampala by Seguya Alawi and Anita Beryl Asasira.

Their choice celebrated the talent of Uganda’s fashion industry and challenged a damaging perception of Africa as a passive dumping ground for the world’s fast fashion. By wearing local designers, they helped reframe how the world sees African fashion: as a vibrant source of creativity and originality.

Not a destination for the world’s cast-offs, but a source of original design.

As 23-year-old designer Seguya Alawi has noted, Uganda’s fashion industry is growing fast, driven by the passion and hard work of a young generation determined to move past outdated stereotypes of Africa’s place in global fashion. Choosing Ugandan designers for such a prestigious occasion turned a red-carpet moment into a statement of cultural pride, and a spotlight on the creativity and skill thriving across the continent.

Look 03

Slow by Design: OTT

Wearing the Emirati brand OTT, Maggie Baird shone a light on slow fashion and cultural diversity. OTT works made-to-order, valuing the hands that make each garment, collaborating with skilled artisans and supporting local manufacturers to keep textile waste to a minimum.

Look 04

Spotlighting Latino Design: Walter Mendez

Eugene Lee Yang championed Latino design by wearing a custom piece from LA-based designer Walter Mendez. Collaborations like this show why it matters to spotlight designers from diverse communities: they sustain culture and open up a broader conversation about who gets to shape fashion.

Look 05

Quillwork and Silver: Lily Gladstone

Lily Gladstone, nominated for Best Actress for Killers of the Flower Moon, wore a midnight-blue Gucci gown that honoured Indigenous makers. Its traditional porcupine quillwork and sterling silver beads were the work of Joe Big Mountain of Ironhorse Quillwork.

Indigenous design thinking like this offers practical wisdom for how we make, wear and value clothing today.

These Oscars moments went beyond fashion statements. They opened a conversation about representation, sustainability and diverse creative voices, a reminder that fashion is a powerful tool for storytelling, cultural preservation and responsibility across generations.