The Mary Sue: We Spoke to the Costume Designer Behind the Radical Looks of Sorry to Bother You

You’ve no doubt seen the buzz about Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You, the summer movie that has been described as a comedy/fantasy/magic realism/sci-fi/dystopian film depending on who you’re talking to.

The film centers around an Oakland telemarketer named Cassius “Cash” Green (Lakeith Stanfield) who’s able to succeed in his job by putting on a white voice. It also features Tessa Thompson as girlfriend Detroit, Armie Hammer as boss Steve Lift, Danny Glover as Langston, Steven Yeun as Squeeze, Terry Crews as Cash’s uncle, and tons more in this star-studded cast.

Viewers have been captivated by Riley’s film debut because of its weirdness and originality from the get-go, in no small part thanks to the film’s one-of-a-kind fashion sense. (I mean, did you see Thompson’s MURDER KILL earrings?) I spoke to the movie’s costume designer Deirdra Govan, who broke down the afro-punk and Afrofuturism influences, creating looks that could properly represent a dystopian Oakland, and her close collaboration with Tessa Thompson. Some quotes are edited for length and clarity.