Fashion and history – The durag edit
Hello readers, I am going to do a daily blog post on things that have taken my interest in the next coming days… Something to keep us busy during these times… A daily blog to learn and enrich our minds with things that can be seen as frivolous but also entertaining and fun. A side step from the dreaded coronavirus.
I hope quarantine life has been treating you well! I wrote a blog post on quarantine life and some tips and ideas of how to keep yourselves fulfilled during this time. So, check that out!
Every day is different for me… some good… some bad, but I keep reminding myself I need to chill out and keep it together!
Today’s blog is on fashion – I have missed this! Fashion is something I hold close to my heart and with quarantine life… being stuck in pjs and workout gear… it has stripped me of fashion completely. I know… I need to not let it do this to me… I hear you!
Coronavirus has stripped us all of everything normal and we need to beat it! Our doctors and nurses are out there daily…fighting… as though this is war. We need to be strong and keep it together for their sakes and to avoid being drama queens. We salute you NHS workers!
So, let’s keep it together and get back to the topic of fashion – Today is all about fashion and its link to history.
Rihanna made history by being the first person to wear a durag on the May issue of British VOGUE, photographed by Steven Klein. She looks better than ever on this cover! It is stunning, raw… shot to show real beauty, without the fancy addition of big hair. It captures you from the moment you lay your eyes upon it, with the caption;
“REBEL Rihanna rewrites the rules!”
Vogue have issued their statement of awareness and sadness during this time of anguish. They have stated this issue was created before Coronavirus in the UK lead to self-isolation and quarantine life.
This cover is monumental… let that sink in! The history of the durag stems from black female slaves. Where this cloth was enforced to suppress black women’s beauty. It was to mark their then inferior status and make them known as labourers. Today, that has all changed, the durag is a celebration of black culture and its beauty. Basically, a middle finger to the past and its nonsense. On a functional level, it serves as a tool to keep waves in check for both women and men. However, the durag is now a fashion statement too.
It was Cheyenne Kimora (LA-based designer) who launched ‘You are Adorned’, making handmade crystal embellished durag’. When interviewed Kimora stated that she “wanted to honour black culture because it was often misrepresented, misused, or criminalised.” She wanted the look to be brought into the world and accepted and acknowledged for what it is… something beautiful.
Vogue has forever been innovative and this cover for me was more than just fashion… a statement… a learning curve. The concept of fashion can bring together so many aspects of life and people too. This cover has shown the inexorable path fashion can take and how relevant its place is in this world.
I hope you enjoyed the read and are keeping safe
Lots of love
Xxx