by
Black Girl With Long Hair
French photojournalist Eric Lafforge has captured images of Ethiopian women of the Dassanach tribe, in the village of Omorate, who wear wigs they have created out of bottle caps. He posted the visually stunning photos on his Flickr account with the caption.
The Daasanach people collect the caps of the Coca and beers in the bars of Omorate and make wigs with them.
The photos, to me, are a testament to the creativity of black women when it comes to hair. What are your thoughts?
Be sure to check out Eric Lafforge’s Flickr account for more stunning photos.
56 Responses
the beauty of ethiopia!!
we’ll be seeing this on the runways soon.
different beaatiful styles
looks crazy. But I would like try that wig!
The watch strap tendril is on point!
i think its bcz they dont mix much with other races. their features ie skin shape of nose eyes r probably similar to those of their long ago ancestors? maybe, idk. MELANIN is a beautiful thing.
Wow! They were all so beautiful. I think the only other thing I was focusing on in the pictures other than the bottle wigs was the fact that they all have perfect clear skin!
It never ceases to amaze me how gorgeous African skin is, smooth as glass, no splotches,no blemishes, no matter what the shade is.And the darker it is,the better it looks.And I know there’s no Avon, L’Oreal, Olay,etc in the areas where these ladies come from.Just pure natural beauty !
Photographers love traditional Afrika, what remains of it. We are beautiful. However, there are far too many of us who are influenced by the west and its standard of beauty. We consume huge quantities of Hessel,.Ambi and many other brands of bleaching cream to lighten and damage our once beautiful skin. At least someone sees our beauty evem if we dk not.
Saw these last year and loved them, but they’re not wigs! These are headdresses!
Alicia james should pls get in touch with Mike from Nigeria thank u Mr showale
What remains of traditional Afrika is rich in adornment incuding many forms of hair adornment and head covering. Like others I would hardly call these wigs, as can clearly be seen by the one worn by the child. By calling it a wig it would suggest that these women are unhappy with their hair, kinky or otherwise, as is so often the case of Afrikan women who are westernized including all of those in the diapora. We are a very beautiful and creative people that have the ability to create something that would otherwise be nothing. Most of the nothing that we use is imported. In fact most of what we now use has displaced the indigenous things we made from our surroundings. Beads, thread, dye, cloth, clothing, shoes, toys, bags, furniture, are castoffs from the west that generally end up littering our beautiful Afrikan landscapes. Some things like these bottle caps can be made into something beautiful. This cannot be said of all western discards that end up on the Afrikan continent.
The image I uploaded is from the back of a bus in Seattle. It is the first time ever I have seen an Afrikan/Black couple, both dark skin placed together in an ad together that was not targeting Afrikan people, and even then….not. Seattle does not have a large Afrikan/Black population.
Very beautiful and creative. I am proud of my African (Liberian) roots.
Whether they are wigs or caps doesn’t matter. Our people are very beautiful and creative. We have learned to use the resources that we have. I love the colorful jewelry they have on (which I’m sure they made). God is awesome! He created some wonderful people.
they look like they were dipped in chocolate.
perfect features, perfect skin…flippin gorgeous.
Wigs insinuate hair, those seem more like caps, headgear, etc
Stunning and very creative. Reminds me of the work of El Anatsui, a Ghanian artist. He makes amazing art out of bottle caps.
Human perfection
Are they bald underneath? if so, they are caps not wigs.
Such editorial photos by some unsuspecting, PERFECT models. Gosh they photograph well!! Simply stunning
I love the contrast of their skin against the beads and bottle caps. Its just absolutely beautiful.
It’s always considered “ghetto” when Black Americans decide to get creative with hair and fashion. NOT FAIR. We have very rich culture, too but we always try to downgrade it. I do agree that this is beautiful and creative, though 🙂
Anything white people say is ghetto is “ghetto” Didn’t you know that? *sarcasm* I agree with you, it’s to the point where if a black woman yells, argues or speaks her mind, she’s considered ghetto. But it’s ok for women of other races to get angry,and they are considered cute. Strange how that works in our screwed up world. That’s why I’m not a people person. 🙂
Looks like more of a “hat” than a “wig”. But still neat.
This is further attesting to the fact that natural (anything)is good…maybe even best. Let’s remember that while tribal peoples do groom themselves as much as anyone, they largely do not use commercialised products to do so. And as we have seen in these pics, their skin is positively GLOWING, and they are beautiful. I am even more convinced that embracing my natural hair is right for me.
Not saying that there’s anything wrong with using commercial products, mind you!
imo, at the end of the day, i think a lot of it comes down to diet.
i doubt they ingest much of anything they don’t make themselves.
ur rite, skin is beautiful…just the way it should be. Real natural beauty
yes their skin is flawless
Pls tell Alicia James to get in touch thanks mr showale
Very creative and beautiful pictures. The last lady teeth are perfect, And the first, such a beautiful smile.
gosh.. profile not smile.
I was thinking the same thing…….those are some good teeth. Nice smile.
Beautiful! I just love my people <3
Lovely! Thanks for sharing.
A long time ago, my mother travelled to Ethiopia for a few months and when she returned, she told me that one thing about Ethiopians is that they do not waste ANYTHING. It’s a pretty clever idea!
Amazing!
Absolutely GORGEOUS!
Wow! That’s really beatuiful. I wonder how I would look if I tried something like this.
The women and children are gorgeous and the wigs are creative.
ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY RADIANT IMAGERY & BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!
Caps were so necessary, this is FASHION & ART! This is what couture designers try so hard to imitate and replicate!
Oh so strong and beautiful and amazing!!!! Man do I love us.
Doesn’t it hurt though? On another note, they’ve got beautiful skin
This breaths new meaning to the adage “one’s person’s trash…” I love the creative way they are interacting with their environment be it with discarded items! I see her smizing like she was coached by Ms. Tyra herself.
Beautiful and exceptionally creative.
That’s pretty nifty! That’s a different way to recycle. =)
I have a Barrett that I bought from a swap meet type thing that made bottle caps into hair bobbles. The Ethiopian Ladies 1 uped that person! Very Awesome!
Beautiful people and photos perfect skin!!
Unique, artistic expression! They are some of the most striking women in the world. Especially love the baby fine skin. I don’t think it’s “ghetto” but for those who say it is, I think it’s all an opinion and it’s ok if you don’t appreciate this art. Each to their own. 🙂 It’s all good.
Wow! So amazing! I love their skin, smile, and style!
It’s an interesting custom….but do you see how perfectly even their chocolate skin is….? The photos are breathtaking.
I’m sayin! How can I get down with that skin. They’re so beautiful!
Especially the first girl! Her skin is PERFECT!
Wow, Avant-Garde at it’s best. Really visual photography too. I like.
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Beautifully Creative.
I’m sure there will be many applications of this concept in the western world in the future.
Interesting and unique.
This is a truly beautiful, creative thing to do. There’s nothing wrong with it, (if bottle caps are your thing), and it’s not hurting anyone.
So smart, so eco-friendly, and not too shabby.
But I just know, there are going to be trolls downcasting these pics labeling them as “ghetto” and other hateful terms.
But I think it’s beautiful.