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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 is a multicultural society and its people have ancestors in every region in the planet. For most of them the road to becoming an American national of today has been trodden with a difficult history. Those who came from Africa have a particularly harsh collective history since it is one of slavery and oppression.
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.
Black fashion has had a major influence on general fashion of the whole world. This is largely due to the impact of black culture on general modern culture. The pop music scene where black music and rhythms such as Hip Hop feature highly is a major causative factor that has led to the popularity of black dress styles in fashions globally.
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
The United States is a multicultural society and its people have ancestors in every region in the planet. For most of them the road to becoming an American national of today has been trodden with a difficult history. Those who came from Africa have a particularly harsh collective history since it is one of slavery and oppression.
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.
Black fashion has had a major influence on general fashion of the whole world. This is largely due to the impact of black culture on general modern culture. The pop music scene where black music and rhythms such as Hip Hop feature highly is a major causative factor that has led to the popularity of black dress styles in fashions globally.
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
