By Jamila Stewart ·January 25, 2021January 25, 2021
The revolving door of fashion trends often comes back around, and with the internet at our fingertips, the cycle only becomes increasingly apparent. Though conversations around iconic figures who have shaped fashion as we know it often highlight names such as Marilyn Monroe, Madonna and Kate Moss, we’d be remiss not to acknowledge the Black talent that stands behind a number of memorable fashion moments, and continues to influence the industry today.
Cultural references, or trends promoting empowerment in the face of oppression are evident when looking at the history of Black fashion and the many ways it has evolved over the years. However, once adopted by the masses, these >Ashro championing Afrocentric styles and trends rooted in Black fashion, you can still channel many of these looks today.
Similarly, Black people are often left out of the conversation of major fashion movements as a whole. Take, for instance, the flashy and sexually liberating dress of the “flapper girl” during the 1920s. Slip dresses and garments almost entirely embellished in crystals and sequins continue to soar in popularity today, and this is in part thanks to American-born French entertainer, Josephine Baker. The musician’s signature style included finger-waves, headdresses, and costumes with silk, feathered and jeweled finishes. Echoes of Baker’s influence still rings in contemporary fashion, with one example being Rihanna’s 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards attire—the infamous Swarovski crystal-encrusted “naked dress.” In true Baker fashion, the singer paired the gown with a matching bedazzled head wrap and fur scarf.
Both wigs and head wraps began their historical journeys as prided cultural items in Egypt and Sub-Saharan Africa respectively. These would later evolve into symbols of oppression. Once a symbol of rank, family lineage or marriage, wigs became an object of conformity for Black people in white-dominated spaces. Similarly, headwraps became symbols of enslavement as white slave masters forced captive African women to wear them. To understand the history of these hair accessories is to understand why they remain important to Black people, especially after they’ve been taken back and redefined in meaning. Wigs since became a form of creative expression with the help of trendsetters such as the popular ‘60s girl group, The Supremes. Similarly, Somali supermodel Iman is among the Black fashion pioneers who breathed new life into headwraps and what they mean for its wearer.
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