Photo: Photo: Arteh Odjidja, Red Square Moscow, Russia, 2012, from the series Stranger in Moscow; from Dandy Lion (Aperture, 2017). © Arteh Odjidja/Arteh Creative.
The dandy first appeared on the scene in late eighteenth century Britain just as the bourgeoisie was coming into vogue and a new leisure class was becoming a la mode. They aspired to the aristocratic aesthetic and lifestyle, seeing themselves as a cut above the working class in all manner of things. But it was in sartorial pleasures that they distinguished themselves, drawing attention to their status through garb.
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For many, clothes make the man—but the dandy makes the clothes, so seamless is his style that he embodies the timeless spirit of chic. The bourgeoisie grew in power and influence at the same time European imperialism conquered the globe. With political and economic oppression and exploitation came an unexpected twist: the transmutation of dandy culture into new realms.
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In black culture across the globe, the dandy was more than a symbol of middle class yearnings—it was a radical act of self-expression and independence. The black dandy takes from the traditions of European fashion and subverts the aesthetic by infusing it with elements of the African diaspora. Where the European aesthetic has come to embrace subdued tones, clean cuts, and understated effects, the African sensibility embraces color, pattern, and contrast. The result is visually daring and dedicated to distinction.
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Photo: Omar Victor Diop, Alt + Shift + Ego, 2013; from Dandy Lion (Aperture, 2017). © Omar Victor Diop, Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris.