For the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers, Michaela Coel arrived in a chocolate-brown Sudanese toub by Hiba Rahma, with henna, custom grills, Kuku Jewellery and a full team of Sudanese women behind the moment. It was stunning, yes, but it was also deeply intentional. In a festival landscape where red carpets are usually built around designer credits, Oscar chatter and who “won” the step-and-repeat, Coel used hers to redirect attention to Sudan.

“Sudanese women have been on the frontlines of every revolution in Sudan,” Coel told Vogue, explaining that she wanted to honor their resilience while helping give their stories a wider platform. Every detail of the look carried meaning: the espresso shade, the traditional gold, the henna, the toub itself. This wasn’t fashion as decoration. It was fashion as witness.

And because Coel never does anything halfway, the rest of her TIFF wardrobe deserves the same attention. Starting with that red carpet look, here’s everything Michaela Coel wore at #TIFF50.

 

Michaela Coel at the #TIFF50 premiere of the Christophers.

 

Michaela Coel attends ‘The Christopher’s’ cocktail party at RBC House during the Toronto International Film Festival 2025

Michaela Coel at the Toronto International Film Festival 2025 Portrait Studio

Credits

Photographer @nabrabadr | photographed by Ben Trivett for People Magazine and Shutterstock
Hairstylist @bloomhairart
Nails @studioplaygirl
Makeup @rahsthetics

Jewelry
@kukujewellery
@hibarahma.sd
@alighieri_jewellery

Henna
@kbcbeautyldn

@ebaa
@kofie.co
@tiff_net

 

Ivie Ogiemwonyi is a retail expert, tastemaker, costume designer, creative consultant and BellaNaijaStyle contributor with a sharp eye for what feels current, considered and culturally relevant. Working across fashion, travel and beauty, she brings her point of view to private styling at LR, editorial content, brand partnerships and her Substack, Taking Inventory, where she writes about fashion, travel and the style conversations shaping culture now. With a foundation in luxury sourcing and a trusted global client base, her work feels elevated, intentional and commercially smart. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, she splits her time between London, Lagos and Toronto.