- “Designer cornrows” are predicted to evolve in 2022.
- This hairstyle deviates from the traditional cornrow pattern.
- It can contain different colors, shapes and even hair textures.
For many of us growing up in the early years, traditional cornrows were a quick style that could get through a chaotic school day. With some kids—certainly not about ourselves here—coming home from school with totally different haircuts than they left with, cornrows were a classic, clean, and reliable style that could last quite some time. Since then, we’ve been introduced to several variations of the look. Our favorite so far: the “designer cornrows” trend.
Also known as designer braids, these styles feature various shapes in traditionally straight cornrows, allowing you to put your own spin on the typically straight-forward look. With search terms like ‘heart braid black girl’ up 374,426 percent on Pinterest, it’s safe to say interest in customizability has skyrocketed, and experts agree. “Designer cornrows are going to make a comeback”, Dr Kari Williams, trichologist and celebrity hairstylist, previously told Xdigitalnews. “With new artists entering the market, I expect to see new beautiful twists on the creative braid styles we’ve seen in the past [this year].”
Cornrows has evolved from a status symbol to a protective style that can be highly individualized, which is what makes this style particularly attractive. People have been given everything from intricate arrow designs to more simple looks like stitched braids in bold colors to make the style stand out. But the look is more than a time saver and has long been ingrained in the black community.
“Cornrows date back over 3000 years for women and men, going back to parts of Africa”, Camille Friend, hairstylist and HASK ambassador, previously told Xdigitalnews. Cornrows were not only used for aesthetic purposes, but they were also indicators of social position, marital status, or what community one belonged to, among many other signifiers.
If you want to get ahead of the trend — or just need an excuse to plan your next protective style — we’ve rounded up some of the best designer cornrows on Instagram.
