Embed from Getty Images

Stylist: Jeanne Yang assisted by Chloe Takayanagi
Outfit: custom Umar Sayeed Couture
Groomer: Kim Verbeck
Watch: Patek Philippe
Shoes: Christian Louboutin

We can now finally watch a South Asian actor cast as one of the protagonists in a superhero movie. Do you know who we are talking about? Well, Kumail Nanjiani, who is on a promo tour for Marvel‘s Eternals. Let’s see what he wore to the World Premiere of the movie, held at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on October 18, 2021.

Nanjiani definitely wanted to represent his heritage and his roots, wearing a custom purple and gold Umar Sayeed Couture Pakistani Sherwani on the red carpet.

A Sherwani is a long coat-like garment worn in Central and South Asia, very similar to a Western frock coat. A Sherwani is worn over a kameez with the combination of shalwar as the lower-body clothing. It is often made from heavier suiting fabrics, and it has the presence of a lining. A Sherwani is tipically worn on many Muslim occasions, weddings and festivals such as Eid¹.

Frock coat
Shalwar kameez
Sherwani

The Pakistani actor accessorized the look with Christian Louboutin grey Chelsea boots and a Patek Philippe watch that was sadly not visible in the shots available online.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it was Kumail‘s mother Shabana who helped him find the designer, who then collaborated with stylist Jeanne Yang to create a custom model for the actor.

“I wanted to wear a Sherwani because 1. They look awesome and 2. My costume in the film always reminded me of Sherwanis. And I wanted to use a designer in Pakistan, not just a Pakistani designer in the U.S. So I called my mom, she gave me names of three amazing designers in Pakistan” Nanjiani told the publication via email ahead of the premiere.

From @kumailn’s Instagram

Yang reached out to the designer through Instagram and sent him pictures showing the colors and the vibe of the project, keeping in mind that Nanjiani wanted the colors to be similar to his costume colors.

The stylist also added: “They hand-beaded this beautiful paisley pattern in the front, and they did this beautiful pattern on the back with gold thread. They made it to his exact measurements. We only had to do a few minor adjustments.”

The Eternals should represent humanity as a whole and the level of diversity shown in the movie is still something not common and not granted. That’s why we also need more representation of such designers on the red carpet, because it is still very scarce and for no apparent reason.

¹Eid al-Fitr is centered around celebrating the end of a month of fasting and spending time with family, friends and people within the community. Giving thanks to God is the most important thing, which is why on the morning of Eid, Muslims offer a special congregational Eid prayer.

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Eternals is a 2021 American epic superhero film based on the Marvel Comics race of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Chloé Zhao.

In the film, the Eternals, an immortal alien race, emerge from hiding after thousands of years to protect Earth from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.

Kumail Nanjiani plays the role of Kingo, an Eternal who can project cosmic energy projectiles from his hands. On earth, he is a popular Bollywood film star.

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