The Return to the Great American West, with Cowboy-Inspired Fashion — PhotoBook Magazine

This comes at a time when we see a rise in conservatism and traditional values, furthering the false narrative of the American West, cowboy fashion, and a “better time.” On the other hand, we see marginalized groups subverting mainstream narratives, using fashion to create visibility and redefine identity, as seen with Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” and more recently with Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter,” and Orville Peck and Willie Nelson’s, “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other.” As Joanne Entwistle says in The Fashioned Body, “Fashion is not just about clothes but is a cultural phenomenon embedded in social practices and power relations.”

In the fashion space specifically, Pharrell Williams’ Fall 2024 Menswear collection for Louis Vuitton drew inspiration from Native Americans and cowboys, Molly Goddard’s Fall 2024 collection featured western style shirts, and Schiaparelli Spring 2024 Couture touched on Daniel Roseberry’s Texas upbringing; brands like Telfar, Ralph Lauren, and LaQuan Smith have incorporated cowboy iconography into their collections in the past. Cowboy fashion aligns with the 2010s boho chic revival we’re experiencing as well, featured in Chloé’s Fall 2024 collection. Along with luxury brands, more traditional western brands are seeing an increase in the number of their clientele, which cements this era of fashion as something more permanent in terms of everyday dress, instead of just being a fleeting costume.