Left to right: The birth of Venus by Botticelli 1485, Brigit Bardot ca. 1965, Headband Denîmes Studio Myr

The hairband is probably the most versatile accessory that women have used to decorate their hair for thousands of years.

With designing our own series Studio Myr steps into an age-old tradition of women adorning their hair with precious textiles.

But first a bit of history.

Prehistory

One of the first proofs of women decorating their hair with textile, is the figurine of the Brassempouy Venus. This miniature head, 36.5 mm high, 22 mm deep and 19 mm wide, carved from mammoth ivory, was discovered at Brassempouy, Landes, France in 1892. It may be 25 000 years old. It is one of the few Ice Age figures with facial features and a detailed hairstyle. It suggests that women at that time styled their hair with a kind of braided net.

Venus of Brassempouy figurine showing prehistoric braided head covering — one of the earliest representations of women styling their hair with textile-like nets. — Venus of Brassempouy, c.25,000 BC

Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is called the cradle of our civilisation. Unfortunately no head textiles of this period have survived the ages. On the other hand, beautiful specimens of precious metal have been found.

This gold leaf headdress with lapis lazuli and carnelian is over 4500 years old. It is part of the famous Ur jewellery. Ur was a Sumerian city by River Tigris, about 200km north-west of Basrah in modern Iraq.

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek depiction of the goddess Hera wearing a decorative headband, illustrating early use of fabric bands and ribbons in classical hairstyles. — Image of the goddess Hera

The women of Greek antiquity used veils of light or precious fabric and ribbons of various colours in their artistic hairstyles, to keep the hair together.

Bands were also wound around the forehead to make it look smaller, since a low forehead was considered a sign of beauty.

Ancient Greek illustration of a woman wearing a Sphendone headband to gather and protect her hair, an early textile accessory used in classical hairstyles. — Woman wearing a Sphendone

The so called Sphendone served to keep the hair together: wide in the middle, it narrowed towards the sides. It was also often folded backwards with the wide end, which then summarized the hair like a net, protecting it from dehydration by the sun.

Byzantium

Byzantine mosaic of Empress Theodora wearing an elaborate jeweled headdress, an example of luxurious head adornments in 6th-century Byzantium. — Mozaïc of Theodora, San Vitale Ravenna, Italy, c. 547- 750

Upper class women in Byzantine society wore the most elaborated and luxurious head adornments, like in this mozaïk of the Empress Theodora.

Middle ages and Renaissance

In the following centuries women of wealth continued to use hairbands of all sorts of expensive materials, such as silk and velvet, to decorate their hair, as you can see from the images below.

Medieval and early Renaissance women wearing decorative braided headbands, pearl-studded veils and ribboned hairstyles, illustrating historical hair adornments across Western Europe.

18th and 19th Century

20th Century

Moving forward to the 20th century, designers like Paul Poiret and Gabrielle Chanel looked to the Orient and the exotic costumes of the Ballet Russes for head-turning inspiration. A means of channeling the glamour and mystery of the east, turbans, headwraps and silk scarves became the accessory of choice for stylish Hollywood starlets. Best worn over the sharply chopped ‘bob’ of the female ‘garcons’ or across the forehead of a fringed-clad ‘flapper’, the accessory served up serious style when worn on the court by tennis star Suzanne Lenglen in 1921. A symbol of increased female liberation, this simple hair accessory was part of a whole host of clothing and accessories that allowed women to engage in a more independent and active lifestyle. Thanks to the hairband, women could run, jump or dance their way into the twentieth century without hair in their eyes.

1920s and 1930s headband style inspiration — Left: woman wearing a Poiret headband circa 1923; Right: Coco Chanel wearing a wide headband circa 1930. Vintage fashion reference for Studio Myr’s timeless hair accessories. — Left: hairband by Poiret ca.1923
Right: Coco Chanel ca. 1930

The 40’s

In the 1940s, headwraps and hairbands were popularised by the American Ministry of Information as a means of promoting ‘war-time’ chic. They became an utilitarian essential for women working in ammunition factories.

Female factory worker wearing a protective headscarf while operating machinery in a British ammunition plant during World War II, 1942 — early utilitarian use of headbands for safety and function. — Ammunition Factory Worker, 1942

1940s American wartime posters featuring women wearing red polka-dot bandannas as protective headgear; promotional campaign encouraging practical head coverings for women working in factories. — Advertisement of American government for wearing headbands

The 50’s

Post-war, headbands returned to their ornamental roots. They were embraced by the rich and famous again.

Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot wearing iconic 1950s and 1960s headbands — historical inspiration for Studio Myr hairbands. — From left to right: Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Brigit Bardot wearing their versions of hairbands in the fifties and sixties

The 60’s and 70’s

In the sixties and seventies hairbands got to a whole new level. They became a symbol for revolution and the upcoming youth culture, an accessory belonging to the hippie culture.

Sharon Tate wearing a paisley hippie-style headband, 1968 — iconic 1960s hair accessory inspiration. — Actress Sharon Tate wearing a hairband in 1968

Present times

So headbands have seen a number of iterations over the last centuries, but one thing that has been consistent is their popularity as a fashion accessory.
Today, headbands are as popular as ever. Whether it be women of power, like Hilary Clinton, film and music stars like Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow, or just regular people expressing themselves with their favourite accessory, now almost everyone seems to be wearing them.

They turned out to be a full fashion item during the Covid lockdowns, making our home outfit zoom worthy with little effort and maximal effect.

Portraits of Hilary Clinton, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez wearing classic hairbands, showing how headbands remain a timeless fashion accessory across decades. — From left to right: Hilary Clinton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez

history-of-hairbands-modern-styles-bohemian-knotted-embellished.jpg — Women wearing their favourite hairbands in various ways

Prada’s power statement

At their Spring/Summer 2019 show, Prada introduced a headband that took the accessory to a whole new level. This so-called 'powerband' reconnected with women's empowerment, making them look as queens again.

With the poignant return of the girlish to a grown woman style, Miuccia Prada set out to make a feminist statement and signaled a shift to dress from the head down (rather than feet up).

Runway models wearing bold sculptural headbands at Prada Spring/Summer 2019 — oversized shapes, velvet textures and statement colours highlighting the resurgence of luxury hair accessories. — Prada SS 2019

The style was embraced by many, and was given a boost by the poet Amanda Gorman, who wore a powerful red one during her performance at President Biden's inauguration in 2020.

Amanda Gorman wearing a bold red sculptural headband during her 2021 inauguration performance alongside Princess Catherine in a velvet pillbox-style headband — two modern icons showcasing contemporary headband elegance. — Amanda Gorman and Prinses Catherine

Studio Myr

As a luxury knitwear label that has femininity as one of its main characteristics, headbands fit perfectly into Studio Myr's range. We designed several luxury variants like hairbands, headbands and diadems for both summer and winter.
As always we used only natural yarns, and like all our designs they were knitted in Holland and finished by hand in our studio in small production runs in an ethical way. Due to their quality and timeless appearance, they can be part of your collection for many years to come.

African Nomads Dogon bandana by Studio Myr – close-up of model wearing knitted geometric hairband in earthy tones, luxury artisan headband ethically made in the Netherlands — Bandana Dogon from our African Nomads Collection

Young woman wearing the Studio Myr Hairband DeNîmes in soft striped jacquard knit, styled casually against a white brick wall. — Hairband Denîmes

Shop our Collections Hair Accessories

As a final touch, we would like to introduce you to our latest design, the Velvet diadem. I developed this collection after a visit to Venice, where I was completely enchanted by the magnificent clothing and hair ornaments women wore in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Model wearing the Studio Myr Veronica velvet diadem in blue and copper tones — luxury knitwear headband handmade in the Netherlands — Diadem Veronica of our Velvet Collection

Stack of six knitted velvet diadems in different colours displayed on a brown draped fabric — Studio Myr Velvet Collection — Our Diadems are available in 6 different colors

Shop our Velvet Collection

The fact of the matter is this: the hairband has been a powerful accessory for centuries. Far from frivolous and exceptionally functional, the simple bands can elevate an outfit and evoke a variety of moods. Whether knitted, padded or topped with sequins, they allow us to dress our bodies from head to toe.

The secret behind the success of this seemingly juvenile accessory lies in its combination of practicality, prettiness and power.

With so much history behind it, it’s clear the headband is a trend that’s here to stay.

The History of Headbands