Why Fashion Keeps Forgetting Who Wore It First
There are certain moments in fashion that make you pause—not because they’re bold, but because they’re familiar.
So when certain sites posted a headline proclaiming that Kim Kardashian “turned a fashion faux pas into a trend”—in reference to her wearing silver duckbill clips out in public—my eyes didn’t roll, but they definitely narrowed. Because if you’ve been outside (or in a Black hair salon), you know… this trend didn’t start with her. Whether Duckbill Clips, banana clips or bobby pins this isn’t new and probably isn’t a trend either.
Let’s break this down.
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Backstage hair clips, duckbill clips, banana clips—whatever you want to call them or use—have been in Black beauty culture for decades. They were never meant to be “runway ready.” They were functional. Practical. A signal that the hair was setting, or that someone was on their way somewhere.
These clips were worn by:
Girls getting their silk press laid before a birthday dinner
Stylists backstage before the show even started
Aunties who weren’t finished, but still answered the door like, “Hey baby”
Models on editorial sets in the early 2000s, looking fly with a half-finished beat
Images Sourced Via Pinterest
It wasn’t a mistake. It wasn’t a statement. It was just part of the process.
So when Kim walks out with her glam waves and duckbill clips perfectly placed—and fashion media calls it innovative? That’s not fashion forward. That’s fashion forgetting.
Let’s Be Clear: Kim’s Not the Problem—The Industry Is
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This isn’t about Kim Kardashian the person. This is about who gets the credit when trends hit mainstream visibility.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen this play out:
Baby hairs were once “ghetto”—now they’re “chic.”
Gold nameplates went from “too loud” to “timeless.”
Acrylic nails, bamboo earrings, durags… the list goes on.
Photo Credit: @_chaantall
We know the playbook: Black girls do it, get judged. A celebrity does it, gets celebrated.
The problem isn’t that Kim wore the clips. The problem is that the industry suddenly decided they mattered because she did.
If Fashion’s Going to Reference the Culture, It Needs to Credit the Source
Images Sourced Via Essence Magazine
In 2025, there is no excuse for erasing where these trends come from. Black culture is fashion culture—and it’s time the industry stopped pretending otherwise.
So no, Kim didn’t start this trend.
She didn’t invent it, flip it, or remix it.
What she did do is wear it in a way that made people pay attention.
But paying attention doesn’t excuse not knowing where to look in the first place.
If we can trace a silhouette to the '90s and a shoe to Carrie Bradshaw, we can trace a hair clip to the girls who rocked them before they had stylists. The trend isn’t the clip—it’s the forgetting.
