Through this article we will present you all the most famous and widespread ways to wear a bandana in a gangster way.
Indeed, the bandana is a timeless accessory that has crossed history, and you will quickly realize that it is not for nothing.
Wear your bandana like a gangster
A small piece of fabric, usually made of cotton or polyester, that is square in shape, it is used for many reasons: to keep hair away from the face or to wipe sweat from the forehead, among others.
There are many ways to wear it, whether you have short hair, long hair, medium hair or even a shaved head.
It is also very popular with different cultural groups and styles: from bikers, to cowboys, to gangs, the most famous of which are the Bloods and the Crips.
It is possible to tie a bandana in a specific way to get a gangster look. With loose pants, sneakers and sunglasses, you will have a very convincing outfit.
We will present here the three different ways to wear a bandana most used by gangsters around the world, including mainly in the USA.
You will know, at the end of this article, everything you need to know to perfect your look and get a real gangsta look.
1) Tie around the forehead like a headband
This is the most common and simple way to wear a bandana.
A trend very present among young men in the USA in particular, who wear a bandana around the head (like a headband), in a style rather hip-hop see gangsta rap.
This fashion which is now widespread all over the world, even becoming an integral part of the urban clothing style of many young men, but also more and more women, originally comes from gang members in California.
The latter used the colors or patterns of the bandana to reveal and indicate their loyalty and membership in a specific gang.
And you can't talk about American gangs and their bandanas, without mentioning the most famous ones - the Bloods and the Crips.
In fact, it is to these two groups that we owe the appearance of bandanas as a sign of gang membership by color.
Thus the Bloods gang represented by red bandanas was in direct rivalry (not to say in war) for a long time against the Crips gang, represented by blue bandanas.
These two colors of bandana: the red bandana on the Bloods side and the blue bandana on the Crips side, are then the essential accessories for a hip-hop or gangsta rap style outfit.
However, this fashion and way of dressing and wearing the bandana being very democratized, all those who wear a bandana in this way nowadays are, of course, not necessarily members of a gang.
We will explain in the following article how to tie your bandana this way.
2) Wear a bandana in the back pocket of your pants
A little less common method but just as effective.
And while this method may now refer to the scarf code (also known as the Hanky code in the gay community), it was originally used primarily by the various gangs in New York and Los Angeles as a sign of belonging.
As explained above, the colored bandanas are used as a distinctive symbol between the different gangs of the same city.
Depending on the colors and the pockets used (right back pocket or left back pocket), gang members can easily identify if a person is an ally or an opponent and member of a rival gang.
If this way of wearing a bandana has convinced you and you want to try it, it's very simple, just place your favorite bandana in one of the two back pockets of your pants, leaving a piece of fabric sticking out of your pocket (about 10 cm)
3) Tie your bandana around your face (over your mouth and nose)
This was the most popular way for cowboys to wear a bandana in the wild west.
The typical western cowboy used it to protect himself from dust, sand, wind and heat. But one of the most famous reasons was to hide his face to keep his anonymity. (like a balaclava nowadays).
Still very much used by many bandits and delinquents nowadays, this way of wearing a bandana with a paisley pattern is still very common, especially in the world of streetwear fashion and in demonstrations, for those who wish to keep their anonymity and avoid facial recognition.
If you want to adopt this style and put a bandana on your face, whether it's for style or utility, just follow these steps:
- Start by laying your bandana flat
- Fold it diagonally to make a triangle
- grab each end of the bandana (the longest side)
- place the bandana on your face (at the level of the nose, just below the eyes) with the point downwards to cover the whole face up to the chin
- then bring the two ends to the back of your head
- Tie them with a single or double knot. The important thing is that the bandana holds well in place without being too tight so that it is comfortable
And there you have it, in a few seconds you've got a real gangsta look.
How to tie a bandana like a gangster?
Now that you've discovered the main styles and ways to put on a gangster-style bandana, you may be wondering how to tie it this way?
That's what we'll explain here because it's one of the most famous ways to wear a bandana.
Many gang members and rappers, including the legendary Tupac, have worn it as below during their lives: if you are a fan of Tupac, we can only recommend you to go and see our article on how to wear a bandana like 2pac.
To tie a bandana on your hair, tied on your forehead, like a gangster from the United States, follow these simple steps:
Step 1: placing the bandana
Place the bandana on a flat surface. Flatten it out so that it looks like an open square.
Step 2: Folding
Take one of the four ends of the square-shaped fabric and lay it diagonally so that it meets the opposite end. The fabric is now triangular in shape.
Step 3: Headband
Take the bandana by the long side of the triangle and fold it to make a 2 inch crease. Repeat the folding process until the bandana is shaped like a headband.
Step 4: Tie the bandana
Wrap the bandana around your head in the middle of your forehead. You can tie it either at the top of your forehead - near the hairline - or at the back of your head to keep it from falling off.
So there you have it, you know everything there is to know about the bandana and ways to wear it in a gangster style, now all that's left is to put it all into practice!
If you ever want to buy a quality bandana to perfect your gangsta style, you can take a look at our very large collection of bandanas.
We offer a wide variety of this fabulous fashion accessory: from the legendary red paisley bandana to more original bandanas like camouflage or gangster bandanas.
You will find THE bandana that is made for you!
PS: we have presented here the main ways to put a bandana gangster style, but there are many other styles (tied around the wrist, around the neck, like a cowboy, ...). So you want to sublimate your style and learn more, you can check our article on the different ways to wear a bandana.
