The cyclic nature of fashion dictates that new trends are emerging everyday with fashionistas around the world eager to keep up.
Social media, red carpets awards, album covers, music videos amongst other platforms have been shaping the narrative of the Cowboy trend, influencing our fashion tastes across pop culture and indoctrinating us into the Yee-Haw Rodeo style movement!
Chances are, if you have a wide brimmed hat, fringe jacket, leather pants, denim trousers, studded belt
Or an old fashioned prairie dress in your wardrobe then you are in tune with the classic Old Town Road song by Lil Nas X and the larger cowboy movement originally from the western parts of America. Beyond the fashion statement, the cowboy trend has cultural, historical and political connections to the black American community and the African community. Black Cow Boys from the 1800’s were mostly freed slaves who were seeking opportunities to apply their skills.
Initially, quintessential pieces of the cowboy trend were viewed from the lense of practicality in fashion long before they become statement symbols for example, the bandana was used for protection against dirt and harsh heat conditions whereas now it’s often seen as a fashion accessory across Vogue covers and street style fashion week moments in Paris, Milan and Copenhagen.
South African Designer Masango Siphosihle, the creative director of his eponymous brand,
Masango by Siphosihle curated a collection inspired by the cow boy trend. Speaking to the Sowetan Live, Sipho explained that the inspiration behind his collection was to depict the wealth within African communities that comes from vast cattle. He recognized the importance of infusing African culture into modern trends through the design process.
The cowboy hat now famously spotted on almost every celebrity including
Beyonce, Cardi B and Kendall Jenner just to name a few has become an iconic symbol that represents resilience and respect. Fashion houses across Europe like Balmain are amongst the key players within the fashion industry driving the ‘Yee-haw agenda’ around the world through their collections.
Olivier Rousteing recently collaborated with Netflix to design a limited edition collection for their debut film about black cowboys, ‘The harder they fall’ which features an all-black cast.
Brands promoting the Yee-Haw Agenda In Kenya, fashion brand
‘Kitu Kali’ also handcrafts shirts modeled after the cowboy trend made by Kenyan tailors using second hand materials and targeted at a more mature male demographic. For the youth, streetwear brands like Metamorphisized have leaned into the cowboy aesthetic through some of the designs in their 2022 look book featuring an earthy brown co-Ord set and a denim pants suit. Local fashion markets like Gikomba and Toi in Nairobi also provide affordable and unique fashion pieces that speak to the cowboy movement.
Other African brands channeling the cowboy spirit include
Thula Sindi, a south African designer who debuted his 2015 ‘Milkmaids and Cow Boys’ collection at the Design Indaba Collection which featured leather, lace and gold embroidery. Elsewhere, Rich Mnisi, the creative director of Rich Mnisi and poster child for afro futurism and gender-less fashion highlighted elements of the cowboy trend in his ‘Nwa-Mulamula Lobola 19’collection to celebrate African ancestry and lineages built on matriarchs.
The creativity exhibited through different interpretations of the cowboy trend by designers and stylists shows that the trend is timeless, playful and clearly, eager to stay for a very long time.
