Is it not funny how those who really know fashion are not surprised at how well we Africans dress?
A few outside pass compliments like “wow you sure put that together well” or “you are actually matching” as though they expect less.Fashion and being African go hand in hand. We have always added style to anything, our influence even stretches across the Atlantic to our brothers and sisters here in America, in today’s terms we can rock any form of fashion.
Back then in the ROCK days, clothing oneself circa images of unnamed tribesmen usually shown on TV, we had to cover ourselves from something or nothing and if the records are accurate, we started first with covering the privates and eventually to protect our skin from the sun. But even back then, our forefathers had STYLE…they had costumes for everything and every occasion from boys to men, getting married, to change of weather, new planting season and even burials, there are several bas- reliefs and sculptures depicting hairstyles and clothing all the way back to the days of the Egyptian Pharaohs.
Name it; we did it, fabric weaving, jewels, precious metals and stones, all forms of accessories, Nubians were even known to have kept the technique for mining Gold secret for 3,000 years!
So I pondered for a brief minute and thought how simply uninformed those who have the notion that we have contributed very little to this industry are. Most adornments, beads etc these days are worn the same way tribal chiefs wore them back then, multiple piercings, genital piercings, bracelets, chokers, rings, nose rings, waist beads, and tattoos.
But let me upgrade you a bit more lets flow into fabrics, contemporary styles again goes far back to ancient Egypt, where the people used their flax to fashion line loincloths for men and rectangular sheaths for women, that process lead to the development of the horizontal loom which is still being used today, and if I am to be bold, Egyptian linen is still the best today right?
Our colours pop up on every runway.
Several ancient cultures have their own historic traditional and contemporary styles but the diversity on the mother continent is as numerous as the different languages we speak.
The Africans were the first to embellish their simple styles by adding head gear, beads, sashes and make up…..oh…are we there yet…yes make up as in cosmetics, need I say more?..That is a topic for another occasion.
So next time you are complimented about your style or you need a refresher on why you have so much of it… then just read this article again!
Taiwo Lawrence is one of Paulina and Jonathan's twin boys and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
