Durags have evolved over the years. For many us who were introduced to durags at a young age, we wore them after putting pomade in our hair after a fresh cut to set our waves. Over time, these stylish head coverings became a fashion statement. But let’s not forget that once upon a time durags were banned in schools because of what the “authorities” thought they represented. Even our parents told us not to wear them outside out of fear of us being labeled a “thug” by people who didn’t understand our culture.
Like everything else, haute fashion” tried” to co-opt our swagger and style when they sent down the runways high-end iterations with at least a $250 price tag dangling off of them. We, of course, weren’t having that—especially when our hair store wave caps were just as fly (and cost waaaay less).
For many of us, we started off with the monochromatic black or white color ways. But once we got comfortable, we realized we could be super-fly by matching our head gear to our fits. We tried everything from Crayola reds and blues to shocking bright neons, and felt especially lucky if our local beauty supply store stocked the two-tone version with red on one rise and blue on the other. Not to mention that how you wore your durag was a matter of regional pride. Singer Teyanna Taylor and her husband NBA player Iman Shumpert even noted that depending on where you grew up determined how you flexed it. Gen Z tends to wear the back of their’s up over their head.
For those of us who like to stay fashionably covered, here are 4 stylish durags to continue the sway and swagger.
Teyana and Iman debate the merits of which region wore theirs best