A First Guide To African American Attire

By Carmela Burgess


When we talk about African American attire we are referring to the style of dress worn by the populations of America who originated from Africa. Some of the styles are traditional while others are completely contemporary.

The United States has a multicultural essence of which it is fiercely proud of. There is probably no country on the map of the world whose ethnic natives to not constitute the present day population of America. Africans do have a particularly harsh history of chattel slavery as one of their routes into the nation although all ethnic groups had a great struggle in the making of America as we know it.

Whether it is because of or in spite of our historical experiences, most people like to celebrate the past and costumes are a convenient way to do this. The Wolof, Akan and Yoruba peoples of West Africa have distinctive cultural dress styles that can be seen worn by black people in America as an expression of cultural identity.

Fashions might include brightly coloured prints that are produced by a waxing method. They are worn in loose styles for women often with an elaborate matching head wrap. Kente cloth is a woven cloth from Ghana similar to the Scottish tartan that has become symbolic of Africa. It is often worn as a trim to plain materials by men and women.

The fashions of black people have made a huge contribution to western and global fashions in the present age. This is due in part to the influence of black music on modern culture. Aside from the distinctive sound of Hip Hop that has affected modern pop music the distinctive dress style that goes with this musical genre has also affected modern clothing.

African American attire continues to evolve today as it has over the last hundred years. Black people are known for expressing themselves with their fashions. Trilby hats and slick suits became synonymous with jazz and blues fashion from the twenties to the forties. Dashikis and afros went hand in hand with the soul music era of the 1970s. African American Attire




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