I’ve been focusing on black women, looking at Afro textured hair (type 4 hair to be specific), and how and why it can be manipulated using hair extensions (wigs, braids) and I’ve been investigating this through speculative fiction and Afro futurism such as how could black women’s hair exist in fantasy genres, Afro Caribbean mythology and folklore, science fiction and different realities, thinking about movement, shape and texture and looking at how afro hair grows up, defying gravity. I’ve made links between what is considered to be professional comparing professional wear with the detailed hairstyles associated with dance hall culture in the UK in the 90s and bringing these into a professional setting.
After interviewing my friends Ebony, Gabrielle, and Victoria and reading research by the ‘Good Hair Institute’ on natural hair, I wanted to explore how and why Afro hair textures are viewed as less professional. I was interested in using red and blue colours in the project after interviewing Ebony who spoke about how black students were punished for wearing blue and red hair colours in their braids while white students were allowed to dye their hair without getting in trouble. I wanted to imagine a reality where black women are not discouraged to express ourselves through our hair in a professional environment. There is a transformative element to the garment, partly inspired by the flaps on the surface of hair follicles when viewed under a microscope, the flaps move upwards and transform the colour of the garment, – red on one side and blue on the other. The idea for the transformation came from the versatility of black women’s hair.
I am imagining a future where Afro hair textures are the norm and there is the freedom for black women to express our identities through our hair. I’m taking properties associated with Afro hair such as versatility and how it grows up and applying it to a garment that would exist in the future.