THE INFLUENCE OF BLACK CULTURE IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY
BY: LEXI COYLE MCDONALD
LIFESTYLE HEAD
All sources embedded in images. Fashion designer Willi Smith and model Touki Smith pose together.
In looking at and discussing fashion trends throughout history, acknowledgment of the influence of black creators is imperative. Many early 2000’s trends have had a resurgence in 2020, but what is unrecognized is how many of these styles have come from black culture. Here is a list of four trends from the early 2000s which owe their popularity to the black community.
1. Lettuce Hem
The iconic lettuce hem can be found in almost every store that markets to teenage girls, from high-end brands to fast fashion. This was originally invented by African-American designer Stephen Burrows. His style involved exaggerating stitching and colorful threads instead of hiding them, thus the zig-zag stitch is a signature of his. The lettuce hem is a version of that stitch which is close and narrow, giving a ruffled effect of lettuce. His designs were vibrant, bold, and risky. In addition, he used diverse models to showcase his designs, which was praised by both consumers and the press.
The shirt to the right is an example of lettuce edge from Brandy Melville.
2. Sagging Jeans
The controversial sagging jeans was a major trend in the 1990’s and 2000’s, which consisted of wearing either a loose belt or no belt so that one’s pants would fall below the waist, showing your underwear. It is reported that the trend began in the American prison system where belts were not allowed as a safety measure, so the prisoner’s pants would be ill-fitted and sag down. Another possible place of origin may have been from very poor, oftentimes black neighborhoods in New York. Hand-me-down clothes that were large enough for a kid to grow into helped to stretch budgets of poor families.
So the teens were forced into a non-conforming look, but owned it and let the waist bands sag lower and dared the world to say it was not the new trend. In the 90’s, black rap and hip hop artists adopted the look and came back in the 2010’s through many celebrities, especially those in the music industry.
3. Hoop Earrings
Hoops are a staple accessory and they come in many different sizes, forms, metals, and shapes. Their invention dates back as far as fourth century Africa, in Sudan, where they were constructed from various metals, including bronze, silver, and gold. Josephine Baker, a black jazz performer in the 1920’s, was known for the large hoop earrings she wore regularly. Forty years later, hoops became a frequent accessory for women of color who celebrated Afrocentric dress and were a popular style with singers of all races. During the rise of rap and hip-hop culture, hoops got bigger and thicker, later involving gemstones, nameplates, and phrases worn by many celebrities and other artists.
4. Nail Art
In 3000 BC, Egyptian women wore nail extensions made from ivory, gold, and bone. Acrylic nails were created in 1950 and quickly became popular in Hollywood. The first-ever black woman to be on the cover of Vogue in 1966, Donyale Luna, wore acrylics. Black track and field athlete Florence Joyner (Flo Jo) was famous for both her record-breaking feats on the field and for her flamboyant nails. She sported long acrylic nail designs for the entirety of her career and on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1988 (when she set world records for 100m and 200m). Ornate acrylics were endorsed by black artists in the 1990’s which brought ‘nail art’ into mainstream media and brought this massive trend still popular today.
Comments