The Influence of African Clothing on Modern Fashion: Exploring the Evolution of Style
Fashion trends are ever evolving and so is African fashion. African clothing styles showcase their diverse culture with traditional attire ranging from bold and vibrant colors and intricate patterns. The most commonly used fabrics in African clothing are leather, cotton, silk, and wool. However, the African clothing patterns vary from one region to another depending on climatic and cultural differences.
Initially, African clothing was commonly referred to as tribal and primitive. This is because they used to be mainly clothing made up of leopards’ skin and mud cloths. But the original African clothing patterns have evolved through multiple stages. The following section of the blog would discuss the evolution of African clothing and its influence on modern fashion.
The History of African Clothing
African dressing patterns have evolved over multiple social and economic stages. Moreover, African culture is diverse and each region has some distinctive elements in their clothing patterns. In the early times most Africans refrained from wearing much clothes due to the extreme hot climate. Only the bare minimum was covered with clothes. The uncovered part of the body was adorned with intricate ornaments. Some of the early clothing was bark cloth, animals’ skins, furs and hides. Moreover, they also had multiple unique accessories such as headgear is one of the important fashion items for them.
Changes Occurred During 15th Century Onwards
During the 15th century Africans began trading their clothes and accessories to European countries as well with the Eastern countries. As a result, African culture started to spread through trade routes. As a result, the African clothing patterns change significantly as well. They started adopting clothing styles by incorporating foreign items in their fashion. For instance, buttons were a special addition to their clothing.
On the other hand, some fabrics were introduced such as cotton, silk, raffia, wool and so on. They started to change their weaving pattern as well adding intricate decoration. During this time fashion became an important part of their life reflecting their socioeconomic development and status.
Influence of Colonization
Colonization has a massive impact on African clothing styles. In Particular, most African cities enforced a mandatory rule to not allow traditional attire as a corporate dress code. Moreover, they even had to change their casual daily clothing pattern. However, blending traditional fashion with sophisticated European fashion was also a trend. For instance, Sapeurs in the Congo is famously known to have blended European high fashion with their traditional fashion elements.
African Attire in Modern Street Fashion
In the 21st century African attire enjoys a dominating influence on contemporary street styles. These attires range from t-shirts, sweaters, and different accessories from toed bags to caps. The rise of social media has witnessed popularization of African fashion and clothing by different social media influencers.
African celebrity figures have also played an instrumental role in spreading African cultures through their unique fashion statement. Incorporating African fashion elements in street wear allows African people to showcase their culture to the world. It is also used as a medium to express their opposition to racial discrimination .
Conclusion
African clothing has evolved over centuries and due to external influences witnessed multiple fusions and blending with foreign styles. However, trendy African American men and women clothing are widely adopted. It has also become a symbol of global equality and unity. Social influencers and celebrities widely promote African fashion to influence people to encourage cultural and racial diversity.
