How ‘We Are Lady Parts’ Costumes Were an Avenue for Faith

“We Are Woman Parts” facilities on an all-woman Muslim punk band who are building audio their way, developing an audience, and balancing their personal lifetime on and off phase.

Costume designer Computer Williams created each and every woman’s wardrobe to honor her romantic relationship with her religion when also utilizing costume to act as an avenue for cultural and self-expression.

The collection, streaming on Peacock, follows five women— Amina (Anjana Vasan), the freshly recruited direct guitarist Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), Girl Parts’ direct singer Ayesha, (Juliette Motamed) Woman Parts’ drummer Bisma (Religion Omole), the bass participant, and Momtaz (Lucie Shorthouse), the band’s supervisor.

“All of these women of all ages are next-era migrants, like me I was born in the U.K., but my roots are from Nigeria and Ghana. When I was wondering about these 4 females, for me, it was about genuinely seeking to fully grasp who they have been culturally and marrying that with a London vibe,” Williams states.

Four of the 5 band users put on some form of regular Muslim head coverings. Williams brought on a number of Muslim women of all ages to her style staff and undertook hours of investigation to correctly portray how design and religion operate aspect by facet.

“A head covering is a head covering, now how you do that is completely up to you and I desired to exhibit that there’s no one particular way to do it. You can have diversity in a group of Muslim sisters,” Williams states.

Williams broke down each and every rocker’s signature type.

Amina

Amina has her sights established on obtaining a life companion and getting her Ph.D. in microbiology. But, when she joins the band, her programs improve. In excess of time she finds a new comfort and ease level in her identification. Amina is normally identified in pastel-colored hijabs and small makeup.

“Amina was a single of those characters in which when you start out the venture you have this sort of a apparent idea of what it is that you want to do. And then, as you get into the undertaking, that notion keeps twisting and turning. And I believe marrying her demure sensibility with this want, and sort of need, to crack out of this mould and to lean into this new area that she was inhabiting, that felt terrific to her — that was like my greatest problem, how do I make, how do I make neat costumes for a girl who enjoys A-line skirts and button-up blouses. And is now in a punk band.

“There’s the scene the place Woman Elements is undertaking a Dolly Parton music and Amina’s continue to acquired her A-line, higher-waisted skirt on, but she’s bought this shirt with a horse print on it. And it’s the to start with time we definitely see her in darkish hues, and it is her variation of leaning into what it usually means to be punk, but it’s nevertheless actually sweet. It’s what she could be outside the house of what we ordinarily see her in, which is pastels and greatly-embroidered two-piece sets.”

Bisma

Bisma can take excellent pride in her heritage and frequently sports vibrant West African turbans and political t-shirts. She’s also the calmest member of the band. When she’s not in the band, Bisma spends time advertising her artwork on her avenue stall.

“Bisma is Nigerian-British, she’s my sisters and me, and my cousins, and mother’s friends’ young children — it is a satisfaction in African prints, but incorporating that in a way in which it feels fashionable and has a Western vibe, but you nevertheless keeping on to what is real to your cultural identification.

“Her artwork plays a significant part in who she is. The inside structure of her apartment is a great deal of upcycled, reclaimed furnishings and pieces. I preferred to deliver that via to her wardrobe — about 90% of it is thrift store finds with autumnal shades, macramé, and anything that feels Afro-centric.

“We utilised a large amount of Omolola jewellery from a youthful Nigerian jeweler, and a large amount of her jewellery is from about Africa or distinct tribes in Nigeria using symbols that signify one thing to Nigerian lifestyle.

“Bisma’s vibe is tremendous vintage. Anything wants to experience like it is had 3 life prior to coming to her, but when it hits her, it helps make sense.”

Ayesha

Ayesha is the band’s drummer. She’s also an Uber driver with road rage. For her outfits, she’d sport sparkly Center Jap abayas and drapey headscarves with spectacular eyeliner.

“Ayesha’s vibe is who Juliette is in true lifetime. So fairly than me developing the outfits, I took much more of a curatorial approach to her structure. I curated her wardrobe, and collaborating with her. I’d say, ‘Here, what do you assume? What variety of appears to be like would you make?’  So, we experienced an afternoon of just making an attempt every little thing on.

“That to me, felt true to who she was because she would carry in a great deal of herself in the character. I feel in some cases when you are accomplishing a character who is so stylized it can come to feel a little bit compelled. I did not want that to occur so she was a huge portion of planning what she wore — dim shades, anime prints, significant steel detailing, and slogan t-shirts from Aborigine manufacturers.”

Momtaz

Momtaz is the core of the band. As the group’s manager, her aim is to convert them into a enormous good results.

“I wished to make certain that a lady who wears a niqab could decide up a person of the niqabs we intended and wear and feel like it healthy the purpose. I did not want it to be like this odd trend factor. Every thing has to just really feel natural. It could not experience like the show was styled. I’m not heading to check out and adjust the niqab from what a niqab is what I want to do is just give you versions of this even though continue to preserving it modest and fitting the reason of currently being lined even though also enabling our actress, Lucie, to feel that she was also bringing a little something awesome to the show. She has to invest these eight weeks protected and I can envision that that is really a major point to acquire on, primarily when the girls are coming out in glance just after search. I think Ayesha experienced 37 seems in the entire clearly show when we designed 4 niqabs for Momtaz.

“But it was actually crucial to me that Lucie felt that some structure, care, and thought experienced been taken into her costumes, but that they still in good shape the intent.”