Black Fashion Through The Centuries

1800-2020

A detailed explanation of selected styles and the fashion during that time.

African American fashion has been a revolution within itself.It has massively influenced today's styles and trends. Throughout time we have seemed to take different aspects from the world and incorporate them into our styles. African American culture has also done this and continues to do it to this day, we are now seeing more African cultures being incorporated into trends, accessories and even high fashion. Style and fashion is not based on one culture nor has any specific rules, a person's style is a reflection of their own personality and who they are. However it is important to recognize the origin of those styles and trends and to fully give that recognition. Here we have African American style and fashion throughout the decades and how it played a role within that era itself. 

1800:

The 1800 was really no time for style within the African American culture. During this time slavery was at it’s peak and the word “style” was not so considered an importance. Many of the outfits, textiles and clothes you see in the pictures below were not made to look pretty however, they were made to be durable and to be worked in, and the style that they did inherit was surely influenced by the massive white population they were surrounded with. In addition the “sense” of style was never really their choice, most of the clothes were picked by the slave owners. These items of clothes usually consisted of simple shirts,trousers and dresses for the women once they began to menstruate. Children under the age of 10-12 were most of the time left naked and given only a pair of leather shoes. In present times most labels say “wash with cold water” or “not dryer safe” but during those times slaves were in charge of washing their own clothing and maintaining it. Slaves were usually only given a set of clothing each so washing it and drying it was not always an option. Fashion was surely not the main topic and in that time those enslaved individuals did express themselves through their hair with different styles and their beautiful culture and not necessarily fashion.

1900:

During the 1900’s fashion was coming around to a more stylish and comfortable vibe with less hardy clothing. Within the white population long gowns, gloves, feathers and embellishments were all considered beautiful and a means of wealth. In addition, the corsetless dress was introduced to women allowing them to be able to breathe properly. In this time enslaved individuals were given more independence and liberation in their daily lives. This allowed them to buy more clothes that white people wore prior to the 1900s. The 1930s also had a big impact on African American fashion. In the 30s racially-stemmed backlash began including lynchings, unknown deaths and the rise in the KKK. During this, African Americans took this time to work especially hard, most of the time you would see these individuals in work attire during the week and in their Sunday best on the days they had church. The sense of style and the fashion worn was usually on Sundays as that was the day where people were allowed to fully express themselves through their clothing. 

1980

The 80’s was full of more optimism and light hearted attitudes. This allowed the African American population to finally be recognized and many Black women and men received a successful education and overall accomplishments during this era. However black poverty levels were at an all time high and the black prison population was rising. Fashion was soaring with bright colours, boots, flare pants and patterns. During that time many people experimented with many different textiles, textures and of course colours. The textiles used in this era were mostly latex, consisting of a rubbering type of material and denim also became very trendy. In addition the African American music industry was becoming highly popular with Marvin Gaye, Boys II Men and Whitney Houston. The music within this era really touched a lot of people's souls and allowed people to express themselves through dance and singing. This was also the case for fashion. In the photos you can see that people during this time wore bright colours as a reflection of their attitudes and mindsets. 

1990

The 1990’s the birth of layered prints, plaid, floral, tye dye and a whole lot of denim. Some trends included the trio of denim, Timberlands and gold, colour coordinated outfits and overalls. The 90s has also inspired a lot of today’s present style with baggy jeans, old skool shoes and chains. Some major African American sitcoms that highly inspired the fashion sense were The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Martin and Sister, Sister. They paved the way with new style and unique trends. Women's fashion changed from dresses and skirts to a more chill and laid back style consisting of long trousers, crop tops, denim with boots and sneakers. Mens clothing was all along the casual and comfy route with knitted patterned sweaters, graphic tees, baseball jerseys, varsity jackets and of course denim! This era of clothing had the most overlap between men and womens clothing. 

2000-2005

2000’s style is the main blueprint for today’s styles and trends. Today we see a lot of baggy pants, small tops, bucket hats, track suits and more. All of these pieces were heavily inspired by black culture with it’s unique styles. During this time many celebrities popularized these trends, an example being Aaliyah with her iconic small top and baggy pant outfit which we regularly see today. The main theme that we noticed was the “comfortable yet chic” look. Which included a large tee with some baggy jeans and some cool sneakers. Accessories also played a big factor within the 2000’s, name necklaces and big hoops were main jewelry worn. The 2000's style for sure goes down in history as the most black influenced era of all time. 

2010-2020

2010 was the birth of the hipster/sporty/comfy fashion era. A lot wouldn't want to go back to that as it was kinda a fashion mess. Pieces that were considered trends were clear heels, chokers, drop crotch pants, one shoulder tops and the list goes on. I personally feel this era was the time for experimenting with new patterns and outfits. As we start to come to today's present the shift changed and still continues to alter and change drastically as throughout the years old trends began to fade and new trends were born into the world of fashion. Finally we arrive in 2020/2021 and fashion has ultimately been the most compelling aspect of today's culture especially within African American culture. In 2020 we see the rebirth of the y2k era (year 2000 era) as people started to redevelop the old trends. However this has caused some controversy, as before these trends like hoop earrings and different accessories were seen as “ghetto” and not trendy, now the lack of recognition people gave to the black community for ultimately creating such an amazing era is very controversial. In another aspect 2020/2021 was also the year of interesting trends like sweater vests, low rise jeans, leather, small cute handbags and the massive rise in shoe culture. Starting 2021 in quarantine it seemed that everyone has somehow added to their own style in some way and this gave us some time to learn about ourselves and how we express ourselves. 

By: Vanessa Wilson.