Hair accessories are
ornamental objects wrapped, tied, twisted, insertedor attached to the hair.
Throughout history, types of ornamentation and materials used indicated
religious status, class, age and level of fashion awareness. Infinitely varying
in shapes and sizes, hair accessories come in the form of hair rings or bands,
ribbons and bows, hairpins, hair combs, barrettes, beads, thread or string,
hair spikes and sticks and other miscellaneous objects (shells, jewels, coins,
flowers, feathers) perceived to have social or cultural value. Hair accessories
have been worn by people of all ages and by both genders.
Ribbons and bows are
narrow fabric strips of closely woven yarns or braid wrapped and knotted around
the hair, also used to bind the hair.
Hairpins are
single-pointed pins used to dress or fasten the hair. In central Africa,
copper, wood, ivory and bone hairpins are used to fasten the hair. Hairpins
continued in popularity as a means of fastening long hair into chignons.
Barrettes are metal pins about
three inches long with a beaded head and guard cap, used to secure the hair.
This bar-shaped hair accessory has a decorative face with an
underlying spring clip to fasten to the hair. The hair clip is often made of
metal or plastic in a variety of colours.
Headbands are hair accessories that also go back to ancient times.Men
and women wore fillets or headbands to hold their hair in place. These circlets
were placed on the crown of the head.
Beads used as a decorative
means of accentuating plaited hair have long been worn by cultures in Africa.
Cornrowing is a traditional West African method of arranging the hair into
numerous small braids. Beads were also used to accentuate the plaited strands.
Thread or yarns that are
assembled into an open, gauzelike fabric creates a netting. In the middle of
the nineteenth century, nets called snoods were a fashionable way for women to
confine long hair at the base of the neck.
Additional miscellaneous
ornaments have been inserted into the hair over time and in numerous cultures
including shells, coins, jewels, flowers, feathers, cow horns, bones, and
sheepskin.
The School of Fashion Leather Accessory Design offers UG
programmes to impart training in the area of Fashion Leather Goods, Garments
& Accessories Design supported by training with real life studio and live
projects under the guidance of internationally reputed design professionals and
Industry experts.
