The Not-so-Humble History of the Headband

North Vancouver, BC, Canada, April 17, 2013 --(PR.com)-- It is generally agreed that headbands have been popular accessories since the ancient Greeks nearly 2,500 years ago. At that time, headbands, or more appropriately, hair wreaths, were worn to mark special occasions and important events. Most famously the special wreaths were bestowed upon the winning athletes of the ancient Olympics, marking the beginning of not only a tradition that continues today but also the origin of the modern sports headband.

Little is documented about headbands over the next two millenniums but by the 20th century headbands had begun their modern day rise as fashion accessories. Headache bands kicked off the century, becoming popular fashion accessories while claiming to prevent headaches. By the 1920’s the flappers movement was upon the West, featuring feathered and sequined headbands as the movement’s defining characteristic.

America’s love affair with the fashion headband grew more fervent mid century as Hollywood’s biggest starlets popularized the look. The stunning French actress Brigitte Bardot was oft photographed wearing her striking bandana headband whilst Audrey Hepburn and Sofia Loren were popularizing the glamorous headscarf look. Later, headbands and bandana headbands would be featured in some of Hollywood’s greatest blockbusters such as Rambo, The Karate Kid and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.

The late 60’s and 70’s marked a time when headbands once again skyrocketed to prominence in the sporting world. The boom in sports headbands was led by tennis greats John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg and basketball great Bill Walton. Soon amateur athletes around the world were turning to sports headbands in imitation of their sporting heroes.

The 1980’s, in the height of its neon craze, adopted the sweatband as its workout accessory of choice. Mega-stars like Olivia Newton John and Jane Fonda proudly accessorized their perms with colorful sweatbands.

Today headbands are perhaps as popular in fashion and sport as they’ve ever been. Tennis and basketball stars are seldom seen without their sports headbands and a host of companies are pushing the category into new, innovative directions.

KOOSHOO Lifestyle Inc, a yoga accessories company based out of Vancouver, Canada, is one such firm. Anticipating a major shift in fashion towards sustainability, KOOSHOO has begun crafting some of the most sustainable headbands ever made. Crafted by hand in Los Angeles, their line of organic cotton headbands, many of which dyed in a solar powered dye house, shed some insight on what’s to come for the once humble headband.

About KOOSHOO Lifestyle Inc.
KOOSHOO was founded by Rachel Evans and Jesse Schiller, Vancouver-based yoga teachers who believe they can make a positive difference in the world. To do so, they create products to accessorize their lifestyle, making them in the most conscious way they can. KOOSHOO products are fashionable, functional, made of organic and natural materials, packaged using recycled and biodegradable materials and for every product purchased, a yoga class is donated to someone in need. The name KOOSHOO means “feeling good” in Norfolk, a language indigenous to Norfolk Island in the South Pacific.