The Evolution of the Zoë Kravitz Braids

Pick-up-and-drop braids with a twist!

If you are a Black Girl who wears a variety of box braids, then you are aware of what we call the Zoë Kravitz braids. They are more or less pick-up-and-drop braids, meaning the ends are left un-braided or unsealed in some way. In Zoë’s case, it is assumed that she forgoes synthetic hair like most box braid styles and using only human hair.

Zoë’s braids gained a wave of popularity over the last few years because of Tik Tok. Many have attempted to figure out how exactly Zoë achieves a look that is less crisp and clean, but more easy, boho, and laid back.

Many hair vendors have began selling just as much bulk human hair as they do wefted human hair, because these styles and the evolution beyond Zoë’s braids have gotten so popular over the last few years.

However, Zoë has been wearing different variations of her iconic braids since 2014. And the person we have to thank for these braids is hairstylist, Nikki Nelms. Nelms has been doing Zoë’s hair since a 2014 V Magazine feature where Zoë was rocking her infamous early 2010s pixie cut.

Here’s an evolution of Zoë’s braid from 2014 until 2024.

NYC Pap Walk in 2014

People have always said that Zoë looks exactly like her mom, Lisa Bonet, but when she stepped out for the first time with these braids, there were hundreds of articles with side by side shots as proof…as if their genes weren’t enough.

Performing in NYC with her band LolaWolf 2014

All my LolaWolf stans stand up! I remember when shots from this set hit Tumblr. While these braids are closer to run of the meal box braids, you can see how effortless they looked on Zoë. As Black women we get very caught up in a sleek and smooth look for hair, but Zoë’s lived in braids validated a lot of us.

Mad Max: Fury Road promotions 2015

In my opinion, the Mad Max: Fury Road promo braids feel more akin to what people are trying to achieve now. Especially the shot of her on Kelly & Michael. There’s not as much hair added and the ends are wavy. Those are the quintessential Zoë Kravitz braided look everyone is after—you should remember that as we continue.

NYLON Magazine Feature 2015

I remember buying this NYLON mag cover—I literally searched for it at Target. Everything about this look was so cool to me. But the braids had gotten longer and straighter. These feel more like traditional pick-up-and-drop braids. It also looks like synthetic hair was added, which is rare as Nikki Nelms was known for allegedly only using human hair for Zoë’s braids.

Dope Promotions 2015

Calvin Klein event 2015

I’ll be honest, this is by far my favorite out of them all. I reblogged various shots of this event all over my Tumblr when I first saw them. I have an old Pinterest board with photos from this event still saved. These were the Zoë braids I wanted so desperately. They were chunky, boho, and the sew-in in the back makes this feel very Rockstar’s GF before it was even trendy, you know?

Zoë & SZA road trip 2015

If I had to guess, this was filmed around the same time as the Calvin Klein event due to the size of the braids. I don’t think they’re the same braids, but we seemed to be on a trend here. Nikki Nelms did say that eventually she couldn’t always commit to doing them. Anyways, here’s two women who have had hair so iconic for a decade that they have namesakes.

Allegiant press 2016

Excuse me while I yell: THIS WAS SICKENING! Nikki Nelms said that Zoë is down for whatever when it comes to hair. The shaved sides with the braids isn’t new, but it was incredible to see on red carpets.

2016 Fantastic Beasts premiere

Which leads us here to the now shaved sides and bleach blonde hair.

2017 Vanity Fair Party

This was a work of art, though. Old Hollywood inspired pick-up-and-drop blonde braids was such a beautiful styling choice by keeping Zoë’s personal touch in a look that she hadn’t really tried before.

Some time in late 2017-early 2018, she cuts off the rest of her hair to switch between a blonde and black pixie cut. But mid 2018, the braids return and Zoë begins to experiment more with them.

Met Gala 2018

I’ll be honest, around this time I believe Zoë had finally entered her Hollywood Darling era. She’d went back to black, wore more natural blushy tones, straightened the arch in her brows, and began wearing these giant bows to a few different red carpets. The braids continued to stay small. This is around the time that people speculated that the crown and perimeters were braids, but the rest was a very silky sew-in. In my honest opinion, I don’t think that’s the case. I believe we were seeing Zoë grow out her sides and they were being slicked down with gel under the braids. 🤷🏿‍♀️

Alex McDonnell Shoot 2018

Again, Zoë continued to experiment with different styles and looks for her braids, showing the versatility in them for various events and photoshoots.

Rolling Stone 2018

I know it’s hard to tell, but those are indeed braids. Unfortunately, we can’t exactly tell how the baby bangs are cut into the mix, but I have a suspicion that either the bangs were left out of the braids or they are similar to the variation of Boho braids where curly pieces are left out for different styles of bangs. This look is very 90s supermodel with a twist…or a braid, rather.

Paris Fashion Week 2019

Now we’re introduced to a mix of pick up and drop braids and locs. They resemble some freeform locs that have curly ends, which I have to assume is what she was going for. It’s also likely these are leftover looks from the filming of High Fidelity 2020 (I won’t be including those looks because they’re mostly locs and I’m focusing on braids).

The hair style is incredibly reminiscent of when her mom starred in High Fidelity 2000.

I would include Zoë wedding photos, but she has wiped them from her Instagram feed and to respect her divorce, we’ll leave them out. But just know she had black braids in a bun with a tiny little bow at the top while wearing a drop waist Alexander Wang custom gown. And at her reception, her then-groom wore a custom leather moto jacket with the same photo of her from the Met Gala 2018 hand-painted on the back. It was pretty sick!

Zoë went back to her pixie cut some time in 2020 during the pandemic.

Met Gala 2021

The braids did re-emerge at the Met Gala 2021 in this beautiful French Roll! Who else’s mother wore that French Roll out in the 90s?

NYC Pap Stroll 2021

We did eventually return to our roots! The good ol’ NYC Pap stroll, which has been a thing for Zoë since she was a teen. But with the bare basic return of the standard pick up and drop braids, it feels like that first pap shot from 2014 all over again (now including Channing Tatum). There are dozens of pap shots of her around this time, running around NYC in the same braids, so I will spare you.

In 2022, Zoë does The Batman press and starts rocking slick buns and an Audrey Hepburn haircut, baby bangs and all. She doesn’t wear the braids during press, only during down time and they are still pretty much the same braids. She seems to have found her preference.

We do get a few braided pap shots in 2023 featuring Hailey Bieber, Taylor Swift, and Selena Gomez (girl…I know), but not much has changed for the braids and she doesn’t wear them to the events at this time anymore either. I imagine she caught wind to the whole trend by this point and decided to switch it up.

Zoë & Taylor Hang 2023

And this is the reason most of the 2021-2023 shots aren’t included, because they look like this. The braids look standard and are difficult to see anyways.

In 2024, she seems to have stepped back from the braids completely. They will be missed, but they will forever be iconic. Thank you Nikki Nelms and Zoë.