By Gabby Sabia

Part I: A brief history

Balaclavas were first used by Polish and Prussian soldiers all throughout the 19th century. It wasn’t until 1854 during the Crimean War that they were officially named after the Battle of Balaclava. During the battle, British soldiers wore the knitted wool headgear in the freezing conditions of Ukraine, and since then, they’ve been sensationalized as a rational way for soldiers to keep warm in colder climates.

Outside of militia-wear, balaclavas were a staple amongst Soviet communities and were regularly integrated into everyday wear. Eastern European women traded in the full-coverage masks for a more fashion-forward headscarf, babushkas, that allowed more breathability and facial recognition.

Part II: Emergence in Western fashion

Something that’s very interesting and different about balaclavas is that they haven’t really been a part of mainstream Western fashion trends until now. Most fashion trends either have loose connections and “inspirations” from older fashion styles or are unapologetically copy-and-pasted (mom jeans, for one). Balaclavas, however, don’t. If you showed a picture of a balaclava to the typical, average American two years ago, they probably would’ve told you that it was something they wore once when they went skiing or that they were the things that bank robbers wear in movies.

One of the first mainstream, high-fashion implementations of the balaclavas was in March 2021, where Miu Miu featured models in balaclavas for their Fall 2021 line.

Many other high-fashion brands designed balaclavas for runways, and of course, fast fashion brands like ASOS eventually got their hands on them too, officially extending the trend into the general public.

One notable example of a balaclava (or, balaclava adjacent) moment was Kim Kardashian’s look at the 2021 Met Gala, which, again, had its hand in extending the trend into general public.

Part III: Why are people wearing them?

It’s hard to miss the obscene similarities between the knitted headgear and the now normalized face masks of an ongoing COVID-19 world. I know it’s really annoying to see the c-word, but I promise it actually makes sense in the context of what I’m trying to say.

The truth is, the pandemic has undoubtedly impacted the way we all live. No matter how hard you might want to disagree, it’s honestly undeniable. It’s affected the way we think, we socialize, and even, the way we dress.