Bel-Air Costume Designer Queensylvia Akuchie on Creating Fashionable Garbs That Reference African Identity

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Peacock just finished streaming the second season of Bel-Air, the show spun off from the popular 1990s Will Smith vehicle The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. This version of the show starts Jabari Banks as Will, the teenager from West Philadelphia sent to live with his Uncle Phil (Adrian Holmes) and his Aunt Viv Banks (Cassandra Freeman). It once more focuses on the teen’s at times awkward transition from the streets in Philly to the gated mansions in upscale California, and the emotional and familial bonds he develops along the way.

The concept was first developed from a fan’s (Morgan Spillman) short film based on the original sitcom, with Malcolm Cooper, T.J. Brady, and Rasheed Newson expanding on the original story by then-married couple Susan and Andy Borowitz. The new show has many of the old’s same characters, including Jimmy Akingbola as the sarcastic butler Geoffrey, Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones, and Akira Akbar as Will’s cousins Carlton, Hillary, and Ashley, though it features a more prominent role for Will’s mother Vy (April Parker Jones) than the ’90s version.

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