Cowboy fashion has been distinct since the 1800s, with many of its aesthetic cues taken from Mexican vaqueros due to the European colonisation of North America. But the ‘cowboy’ image was solidified in our minds by the release of American western films from the 1920s to the 1940s, linking it with a certain type of American masculinity.

Aesthetically, the look was a far cry from anything involving sequins. However, from the 1950s, this classic version of the western look began to change, with the rise of country music and singers such as Elvis and Dolly Parton giving the look a modern, sexy spin.

In 1979, Ralph Lauren introduced one of the first mainstream western-inspired lines to the fashion world. “I’ve been wearing cowboy boots and western clothes a long time,” Lauren told the New York Times at the collection’s launch. “The image isn’t fashion, it’s rugged. It’s part of American culture. It’s one thing France can’t claim is theirs. It’s ours. My goal is to give it quality and dimension.” With this, Lauren kickstarted a wave of cowboy-inspired fashion, worn for everyday by fashion fans that certainly had no intention of setting foot on a ranch.

From the Wild West to Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour: inside the enduring appeal of cowboy-inspired fashion