Oscar-winning actress and daughter to Governor Anyang Nyong’o, Lupita Nyong’o, turned heads as she made a grand entrance at the Tony Awards 2023. The actress donned a silver breastplate top that created an illusion of her being topless beneath a stylish black velvet blazer.
The Black Panther star took it to social media to explain the meaning of her daring outfit as it was more than a mere fashion. Lupita revealed that the outfit had a deeper meaning as it was customized and moulded out of her body by a Pakistani artist and fashion designer dubbed as Misha Japanwala. The actress explained that donning on the outfit made her feel honoured, humbled, strengthened and energized.
“Honored, humbled, strengthened and energized to don this breastplate created by Misha Japanwala, which she cast and molded of my body,” Lupita partly wrote on her Instagram.
The actress explained Japanwala’s artistic vision as focusing on rejecting and deconstructing the external shame normally associated with one’s body. The Pakistani artist creates a realistic record of one’s body as an act of resistance and celebration as well as insistence on allowing people to exist freely in their bodies.
“Misha Japanwala is a Pakistani artist and fashion designer, whose work is rooted in the rejection and deconstruction of external shame attached to one’s body. In her artistic process, she creates a realistic and true record of a person’s body as an act of resistance and celebration, and an insistence on being allowed to exist freely in our bodies,” the actress wrote.
Despite facing backlash from people who thought the actress’ daring ensemble was too much to be rocked in public, Lupita felt complete as she expressed her gratitude to Japanwala for giving her the golden opportunity to be herself. The actress’ choice of fashion has always left people in awe as she is always committed to use her sense of fashion to express herself as well as break the societal boundaries.