There are two schools of thought when it comes to the fade haircut. One is that the closely shaven fade got its start in the U.S. military during the war era in the 40s when everyone needed to have short hair for good hygiene. The minimalist masculine look suited the long periods when men would go by without having a haircut. The other one surmises that the term ‘fade’ came from Black-owned barber shops and has since progressed into what it is now – a popular haircut for men.

As with the ever-evolving times, the fade haircut adapted to the current pop culture. In the 1980s, hip-hop took the fade and added an urban feel to it with MCs like Big Daddy Kane, Kid from Kid ‘n Play, and Will Smith from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air adding their own personal styles to it. Needless to say, the fade was a golden standard in hip-hop during this era.

When the 2010s came around, the fade haircut was also experiencing quite a fading of its own. Though a few black artists kept their fades – Usher, Nas, will. i. am, Kanye West – it wasn’t until recently that it came back under the limelight.

In the 2020s, the ‘fade haircut’ made it to Google’s “Year in Search” trending list – could it be that the quarantine prompted men to choose a low-maintenance hairstyle? True, the haircut is short enough that you won’t be back in your barber’s chair in a month or so. But was search also related to a haircut that men thought they could do by themselves at home? That could be tricky, as a good fade needs to be executed by an equally good, if not excellent barber. The technique is not disclosed, as each barber has their own to get that seamless progression of hair from light to dark – but how the end result will look depends highly on the equipment as well.

Fast forward to today, the fade haircut has made a huge comeback, especially with Kanye West’s mullet fade, Drake’s side part fade, and many more artists sporting it.