DANAI Gurira has been quite busy in the past week — from gracing the Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre in Harare to stealing the show at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on Sunday night where she graced the Vogue World 2025.
The actress joined scores of fellow Hollywood A-Listers in the City of Angels at a glamourous event which raised US$4,5 million for charity.
The Vogue 2025: Hollywood show featured several celebrity cameos — both in the front rows, and during the presentation itself.
Gurira and Teyana Taylor hit the Vogue World runway in full Dora Milaje armor, honoring Ruth E. Carter’s iconic ‘Black Panther’ designs.
The show featured a live performance-meets-runway format celebrating fashion, film and music. Several celebrities attended the event, appearing both in the front row and on stage.
One of the most notable segments of the evening was the sixth act, which spotlighted Afrofuturism and honoured Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter.
Known for her work on School Daze, Malcolm X and Sinners, Carter’s designs have become synonymous with visually striking depictions of Black culture on screen. In 2019, she became the first black woman to win an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, an honour earned for her work on Marvel’s Black Panther.
Both appeared in the red and silver battle armour worn by the Dora Milaje, the elite all-female royal guard that protects Wakanda’s ruler. In the Marvel Universe, Dora Milaje are a group of female warriors in the Kingdom of Wakanda.
They serve as the kingdom’s special forces and as the personal bodyguard to the ruler of Wakanda.
Apart from the Black Panther movies, the Dora Milaje have also appeared in several other MCU projects, such as Avengers: Infinity War and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Accompanied by Damson Idris, actress Angela Bassett also took part in the presentation, wearing the purple gown Carter created for her portrayal of Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The appearance marked Gurira’s Vogue World debut.
Taylor is familiar to the event’s audience, having delivered a standout performance at Vogue World: Paris in 2024 while wearing a metallic chainmail look by Rabanne.
Released in 2018, Black Panther grossed more than US$1.3 billion worldwide and received seven Academy Award nominations and won three.
Its sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, premiered in 2022 and continued the story following Boseman’s tragic passing.
Both films were directed by Ryan Coogler.
Last week, Gurira was back home in Harare for the premiere of Batsirai Chigama’s play ‘Can We Talk?’ whose tickets sold out days in advance.
The festival, presented by Almasi Collaborative Arts, marks a 13-year journey of cultivating local talent under the vision of Gurira, who co-founded the organisation to “bring the African narrative to the global stage.”
This year’s edition carries a special emotional weight— it is dedicated to the late theatre icon Walter Muparutsa, whose legacy continues to inspire generations of actors and directors. His influence was deeply felt throughout the evening with organisers, artists and audience members all acknowledging the giant whose shoulders they stand on.
Gurira was visibly moved.
“I cannot remember a more impactful moment in the theatre than being among Zimbabweans watching our own stories come alive on stage.” — H-Metro Reporter/Vogue/Variety
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