Decolonised Cowboy Core

The American cowboy archetype is being redefined by Black musicians, designers, film-makers and artists, igniting a cultural renaissance with lasting influence.   

Back in 2016, The Studio Museum in Harlem began making waves with its exhibition Black Cowboy, followed by a game-changing moment in 2019 when queer Black singer Lil Nas X released the hit song Old Town Road, breaking stereotypes and redefining cowboy imagery. 

Culture publication Afropunk suggests this moment marked the birth of The Yeehaw Agenda, a term it says was coined in 2018 by Bri Malandro, a young Black woman from Dallas, to highlight Black cowboys and cowgirls in popular culture.  

Adding momentum to this movement was film-maker Cheryl Foggo’s 2020 documentary John Ware Reclaimed, exploring the life of a Black cowboy in Canada; 2021’s The Harder They Fall on Netflix, a spaghetti western that digs into the lore of American cowboy and activist Nat Love with a predominantly Black cast, including Jonathan Majors and Idris Elba; and Lil Nas X’s 2022 documentary Unlikely Cowboy. 

Fashion has not remained untouched. Beyoncé’s rodeo-themed Ivy Park and Adidas collection in 2021 fused Western style with streetwear, while Willy Chavarría’s collection at New York Fashion Week 2024 explored the notion of Americanness from the outskirts, celebrating the identities of queer, immigrant and all other Americans who are under-represented in Uncle Sam’s conventional visual narratives.  

Photographer Ivan McClellan’s 2024 book Eight Seconds: Black Cowboy Culture documents this hidden history and many celebrate this renewed focus on Black cowboys, who represented a quarter of the cowboy population post-Civil War (source: Smithsonian Magazine). 

Most recently, Beyoncé’s album Cowboy Carter has propelled the Black cowboy aesthetic to new territories, representing female Black cowboys. Dallas-based journalist Taylor Crumpton wrote in Time magazine that Beyoncé ‘has always been country’. The powerful statement was turned into merch by the singer in the following weeks.  

An entire community is reclaiming parts of this cultural heritage by taking up space, adorning themselves in Western gear and telling the stories of the cowboys who came before them – and brands are taking notes.  

Louis Vuitton’s autumn/winter 2024 menswear collection

In January 2024, Pharrell Williams’ Louis Vuitton autumn/winter 2024 men’s collection was a vibrant blend of Americana and Native American designs worn by a diverse cast of male models, including Black and Brown men from the Oklahoma Cowboys and a non-profit organisation seeking to bring awareness to Black cowboys by promoting horsemanship and rodeo culture.  

Unveiled in Paris, the collection featured classic American silhouettes with cowboy-inspired elements such as leather cowboy hats, cowhide valises, checked denim jackets adorned with bull badges and cowboy boots with shiny metal points. Rodeo jackets featured intricate embroideries while Native American artistry was showcased in scarves, bags and blankets.  

Jordan Peele’s Black Cowboy docuseries

Announced in May 2024, Oscar-winning film-maker Jordan Peele is producing a new three-part documentary for Peacock, with show-runner Keith McQuirter, that aims to ‘dismantle the whitewashed mythology of the cowboy’. The untitled series will spotlight the overlooked history and contributions of Black cowboys in American history, expanding on themes from Peele’s 2022 cult film Nope.

‘Nope gave a nod to the deep history of Black cowboys in America, and this docuseries offers a full exploration of their lives and contributions to today’s cultural landscape. Told through the singular lens of Jordan Peele, this series is every bit as entertaining as it is enriching,’ said Universal Studio Group chairman Pearlena Igbokwe in a statement. 

Gap and Dapper Dan’s cowboy-inspired collection

In February 2024, Gap and legendary Harlem-based designer Dapper Dan launched their fifth and biggest collaboration, inspired by ‘the original cowboy’. The 22-piece spring collection features head-to-toe Western denim looks, including a houndstooth jean jacket with matching straight-fit trousers.  

The DAP GAP logo hoodie is at the collection’s core and worn with denim as a message of destigmatisation and cultural reclamation of ‘one of the most popular items in the hood’.  

‘African Americans, Mexican Americans and Indigenous people in the Americas are responsible for the cowboy aesthetic we see today,’ journalist Taylor Crumpton tells LS:N Global. She adds that Pharrell Williams worked with four Indigenous designers on his Louis Vuitton men’s autumn/winter 2024 collection, according to Native America Calling (America’s only daily interactive audio programme featuring Native and Indigenous voices).

The musician and creative director is also the star of Tiffany & Co’s May 2024 campaign, Tiffany Titan by Pharrell Williams. ‘The detail in all of the jewellery pieces is very intentional, the use of black titanium… it’s a physical manifestation of beauty in blackness,’ he said. This intersection of the hip-hop world and cowboy culture continues to grow. Photographer Ivan McClellan told The Guardian: ‘I saw hip-hop street style and cowboy culture merge. I felt I belonged.’ 

The challenge remains to tap into this phenomenon without falling into the cultural appropriation trap. ‘Agencies and brands should follow Williams’ example of collaboration, instead of appropriating an aesthetic that is actually the by-product of cultural traditions,’ says Crumpton. ‘There is an abundance of Indigenous fashion designers. Southwestern Association for Indian Arts hosted its first-ever fashion week in May 2024. Agencies and brands need to work together with these designers, because they are the experts.’  

It’s also important not to invisibilise the role and influence of Black women in the decolonised cowboy core aesthetic and their potential for making this movement even bigger than Beyoncé’s album.  

‘For Black women, cowboy mania is not a trend or a fad, but how they chose to honour their legacy and heritage. Before Barbie or even Cowboy Carter, Black women have been adorning cowboy attire because they have always been a part of the country eco-system and farm idea,’ says Crumpton. ‘Black women have always been the standard and have always been country.’