The True Bandana
With Rituaal’s upcoming launch The True Bandana, I felt like I needed to dig-in the history of this iconic item, and the reason behind every detail of our bandana.
The bandana has been around for centuries and has been present in many cultures, worn by a very diverse crowd: sailors, politicians, gang members, the LGBTQI+ community, miners, and pin-ups. There was a time when they were only worn by people who could afford the most expensive textiles, and later in history, they were worn by the working class, followed by marginalized communities. Today, bandanas are worn by anybody and it can’t be denied that the bandana belongs to everybody. This is one of the most democratized accessories in fashion history. It represents many things to many cultures and has been relevant from the moment it became popular in the 1700s up until today.
The word bandana comes from the Sanskrit “badhnati,” which means “to bind'' or “to tie.” I personally love that the word bandana is used in other languages (with minor changes in the way it’s written or pronounced).
Bandanas are an evolution of the handkerchief. For centuries, they were only made of cotton and always square. Today, we know that bandanas can be made from any fabric and in any size, and they’re incorporated into many things. From jackets to handbags, you can find “the bandana style” on pretty much anything. All bandanas have different designs and motifs, many including flowers or repetitive little icons that resemble flowers. They feature animals, buckles, tassels, and all kinds of things that hold meaning for those who design and wear them.
When designing Rituaal’s, I knew that I wanted to use the classic paisleys that all bandanas have. However, I wanted to be intentional and not make them the center of the design but use them as a part of the main elements that make up the whole scarf.
Davis and Catterall, a NYC-based textile company, started manufacturing what we know today as the authentic American bandana. They were sold as the “Elephant Brand” and served as one of the main inspirations for the creation of The True Bandana. The Elephant Brand bandanas were sold with an iconic tag that featured an elephant framed by a rope. Using the rope on our designs was a must for many reasons: it’s classic detail, and it pays homage to the OG of bandanas. You can see two ropes on the scarf, one framing the whole scarf and another one in the middle between the circle of lotus flowers and the stars.
One of my personal scarves from the early 2000s is a simple piece of cotton with prints of the crest of my local soccer club, a significant number of stars, and a lotus flower. From my 00s bandana, I borrowed the lotus flower you see featured on The True Bandana because, for me, the lotus flower means balance. Placed on the center of the scarf, four lotus flowers create a mandala-like print that will bring relaxation and calm to those who wear it.
As some of you know, the symbol of Rituaal is a dung beetle. The same beetle that can carry 250 times its weight in crap and make the best out of it for itself and the environment. The dung beetle is essential to the ecosystem to fertilize the soil, and it’s one of the few animals known to use the stars as a navigation system. Because of that, they are the main element in The True Bandana and, the reason why in the center of the scarf, you can see stars and a rope.
Each corner of this scarf has a dung beetle that can be facing up or down, depending on how you wear it. This intentional detail is for the moments when you need the strength of a dung beetle or when you feel like the best, most fertilizing shit ever and want the world to know it! Either way, like all our scarves, they are made to make you feel your best and give you some badassery. Get yours and be your truest self with The True Bandana.
The True Bandana is available to Pre-Order, choose between the Rituaal Yellow or the Oatmeal now!
