Head wraps are cloth head coverings that adorn the heads of (most) Black women across the globe. From the bubbly city of Lagos to a city as culturally sophisticated as New York, it is not unusual to see Black women going about their daily routines with their hair bound in beautiful head wraps. The art of head wrapping is rooted in Black history and culture, a skill passed on through generations of African women, and has evolved its way into becoming a much loved accessory that makes a bold and symbolic fashion statement.
In the last decade, African and Pan-African Black women have taken to the use of head wraps as a bold fashion accessory. YouTube Channels devoted to head wrapping have become increasingly popular and there's no end to the array of exquisite headwraps fashioned from diverse fabrics. Several Black-owned businesses dedicated to designing modern head wraps have emerged, pushing the act of head wrapping from just a way to style afro hair to it being a way of supporting Black entrepreneurs.
Interestingly, the art of head wrapping is not a completely new trend. It has existed as a fashion essential in a variety of African cultures for centuries. In Ghana, head wraps are known as ‘dukus’. The Yorubas of Southwestern Nigeria refer to them as ‘geles’, while Namibians and South Africans call them 'doek', ‘duku’ or ‘tuku’. Headgears have had deep cultural significance across different African tribes for a long time.
Even as far back as the Nubian empire and ancient Egypt, headgears were worn by the Egyptian rulers and nobles to distinguish them from common people and symbolise power. The significance of headgear in African culture is depicted in historical works of art such as statutes showing ancient Africans with a wide variety of headgear made from symbolic items such as fabrics, cowries, beads, animal hides, feathers and so on.
In Kenya for example, Maasai warriors wore headgears made of Lion mane to symbolise bravery and, headgears made of Ostrich feathers indicated social status and leadership.
Many African societies also embraced headgears as adornments for women. A typical example is the gele – a Nigerian headgear unique for its delicate multi-tier folding. Today, Nigerian women can often be seen with their elaborate geles in beautiful prints and colours at social events. Infact, a Nigerian Yoruba bride's traditional wedding attire is incomplete without a gele to match.
Unfortunately, in the 1700s, headgears shifted from being an element of cultural heritage to a tool of oppression for colonised Africans. White slave masters mandated African women slaves to tie head wraps to emphasise their supposed inferiority and low rank in social status. Despite this being an oppressive instruction, Black women refused to allow it mar the rich cultural heritage that head wraps represented.
In Suriname , Central America, women used headgears for coded messages which their masters did not understand, and what was meant to signify inferiority became a source of superiority. As depicted in ‘Roots’, a movie about Black colonisation, the women also styled their head wraps in ways that protected the head from sun, dirt and lice as they went about their duties on their masters’ plantation fields.
Growing Into the Sudanese Toub
Even after the abolishment of slavery, using head wraps remained a popular style amongst Black women. Sadly, a negative stereotype began to emerge as head wraps became associated with mammies – strong Black women deemed fit only for menial jobs. This led to a decline in the use of headwraps as Black women who wanted to climb the corporate ladder started shedding this part of their African culture.
Head wraps made a comeback and began to regain popularity in the late 1900s. Influential Black women like Erykah Badu – an artist whom many refer to as the “Queen of headwraps” – drew a lot of recognition to the African head wraps globally. Her choice of headgears played an important role in the rise of headwraps in modern African fashion.
Despite the disintegration of African communities due to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, emancipation, the Great Migration and globalisation, this Black hair accessory has stood the test of time and space. From Black women rocking beautiful head wraps in universities, offices, markets to corporate, religious and social events, it's safe to say that the renaissance of African head wraps is here to stay.
The Black-owned Brands Creating Handmade Knitwear That Contributes to Slow Fashion
The Wrap Life
Brooklyn-based Nnenna Stella of ‘The Wrap Life’ started the brand in 2014 after experiencing the difficulties of getting an original African headwrap anywhere close. Now, the brand is a big player in the headwrap industry with a wide variety of headwraps in their collections. With a big vision to be the world’s most inclusive hair accessory brand, the Wrap Life offers wraps and head ties that are beautiful, functional, and intentionally designed.
Gideon's Needle
As a bespoke lifestyle brand, Gideon's Needle sources the best fabrics from various African countries to create its products and offers head wraps in African prints such as Ankara and Kente. The head wraps are fashioned after African tribes with names such as the Yetunde head wrap (Yoruba, Nigeria), the Thandiwe head wrap (Zulu, South Africa) and the Ashanti head wrap (Ghana) - all of them depicting the peculiarities of the African tribe they are named after.
YGN (You Go Natural)
Monique Little, the black female founder of the YGN brand started her business to create beautiful, functional and ready to wear head wraps. The brand has grown tremendously since its inception in 2016 and now has its production facility (which produces 11,000 headwraps per month) in East Dallas. The brand's collections include pre-tied head wraps suitable for swimming, workouts, sleep and even accessories for both male and female.
Fanm Djanm
Fanm Djanm (which means ‘Strong woman’ in Haitian Kreyol) is another fast-growing African headwraps brand that offers handmade headwraps with a focus on sustainability, community and a mission to empower women to live boldly and authentically. The company also creates tutorials and how-to guides on how to tie and style different head wraps.
Tess world designs
Tess World Designs is a leading African fabric store in Royal Atlanta, USA that sources traditional African head wraps. The brand boasts a wide collection, as their range of head wraps are made from exotic and original African fabrics sourced from different parts of the continent.