Power of black style on Brit fashion

From Rastafarian to 'bling bling' chic, black style has shaped the way Britons dress for more than 50 years.

Bold, bright patterns and chunky gold jewellery are just some of the trends which have become popular.

Now the power of black fashion is being showcased at the Victoria and Albert Museum, West London.

Curator Shaun Cole said: 'When large numbers of people arrived in Britain from the Caribbean in the 1950s, their clothes were brighter and the fabric was more boldly patterned than anything Britons were wearing at the time. The Rastafarian culture has also had a big impact.

'You see white people with dreadlocks, which would never have happened before, and even companies like Dior are using the red, gold and green Rasta colours.

'The tracksuit-and-trainers look owes a great deal to its use by the black community - and the trend for oversized, bling jewellery is certainly down to the black hip hop movement.'

The Black British Style exhibition, which runs until January 16, focuses on dress, fashion and styling across all aspects of black British cultural life.

It includes dresses from the 1950s, everyday clothes, traditional clothing, Sunday dressing for church, contemporary street style and fashion associated with black music and dance.

Highlights include 48 pairs of trainers from singer Goldie's 1,000-strong shoe collection, Jazzie B's outfit from Soul II Soul's Back To Life video , and the elegant 'arrival' outfit worn by London's first black headteacher, Dr Beryl Gilroy, when she emigrated to Britain in 1952.

Jazzie B said: 'We developed our own identity and our own style by using all these things which were around us.

'We utilised all of these things to our advantage and in the end it turned out to be a worldwide phenomenon.'