Culturally Aware Fashion Boosted By Social Media
Sarah Jessica Parker rocked Salt-n-Pepa-style gold bamboo “door-knocker” earrings and a matching nameplate necklace for several seasons as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City. Years later American Apparel released its “Afrika” line, full of tribal print pieces. And decades before, black jazz musicians became muses for 1920s flappers of all races.
African and African-American people have been lauded as the silent trendsetters for mainstream style for years. But now, thanks to increased visibility, the faceless fashion innovators are cutting out the middleman to create something all their own.
“The will to adorn is the second most notable characteristic in Negro expression,” writes Zora Neale Hurston in Characteristics of Negro Expression essay. This is second only to drama.
Drama and the will to adorn are both omnipresent in another form of black expression: fashion.
In early 2015, an afro-haired East Orange, New Jersey high school senior named Kyemah McEntyre broke the Internet in a deep-V, African-print ballgown she designed herself.
After winning the Cicely Tyson School of Performing Arts’ prom queen title, McEntyre posted photos of her design, adding, “When European ideals and standards of beauty mean absolutely nothing.”
The 18-year-old’s black ethereality comes alongside an era of images showing men in brightly colored dashikis and women in African wax print bathing suits, street-wear jerseys colored like the pan-African flag, and costume statement jewelry created as an homage to favorite black female superstars.
Something’s happening here.
Image-driven social media platforms like Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest have helped make the ever-globalizing world even more accessible, and even more African.
Philadelphia menswear designer Walé Oyéjidé recognizes the effects of the Internet on culturally influenced fashion, saying, “I do think it’s becoming a bit more popular to see this amalgamation on this side of the world because of social media, and because people are becoming more web savvy with their marketing techniques.”
Take a look at custom-clothing brand Geechi Vigilantes which has garnered an impressive online following in just two years by getting their threads on über-popular social media stars like local Sianni Lane, who is daughter of Philly rapper Charli Baltimore.
The Philly-based brand’s line is derived from the Gullah people of South Carolina, descendants of enslaved Africans who have preserved their African ancestry with regard to everything from burial practices to diet to language.
The ‘Vigilante’ namesake comes from groups who take justice into their own hands. It also derives inspiration from Nigerian Igbo culture, of which creator, owner and Temple University alum Jason O. belongs. Geechi Vigilantes’ designs feature red, yellow, green and black colors that adorn the Flag of the Republic of Biafra (often called the Igbo flag), images of African women carrying baskets, and images of the African continent.
“Clothing is important in establishing larger movements,” says Jason O., “because it demonstrates unity among those who believe in the movement and also consciously attracts others to join the movement.”
The brand hopes to serve as an advocate “for all individuals to research their own historical beliefs and practices,” Jason O. says.
New York-based accessories brand Lost Queens, founded by Eboni Merriman, draws inspiration from renowned black women in history. You can score a “Lisa Bonet” namesake arm cuff or an ornate “Billie Holiday” necklace to truly add the essence of black female trailblazers to your ensemble.
Oyéjidé’s brand Ikiré Jones marries an African and Asian aesthetic with Italian silhouettes and European imagery. Beyond the bold, culturally inspired prints, though, is an infusion of Afro-futurist ideals portrayed not only through design, but also in elaborate short stories Oyéjidé creates for each collection and each piece of clothing.
His newest one reads, in part:
“We are the children of migration. Some of us were the victims of cruel circumstance and crueler men. Many of us were taken before our time. But we are here. And from beyond the skies, our voices will guide you, if you listen. As we forever sing.”
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