Indigenous African Fabrics - The Backstory
To the untrained eye, indigenous African fabrics may all be one and the same.
They are often multi-color designs with geometric patterns, woven out of a wide variety of fibers. The labor and skill required to produce such high quality fabrics means a buyer will be paying top dollar. And for what? Well, it is about more than just the visual aesthetic of the material - it is about the tradition and historical significance they hold. If you understand why this is important, you can see African fashion and design in a whole new way.
Kente cloth being woven on a loom.
What is the Difference?
Maybe the most recognized material is the Kente cloth from Ghana. It has almost become a catch-all term for African fabrics in general, but there are many other incredible fabrics that don’t get the appreciation they deserve. What distinguishes one fabric from another are the composition of fibers, dye methods, design techniques, and the tools used to construct the material.
Here are just 4 other kinds of African fabrics you should know about:
In Mali, you will find a traditional blanket called Khasa. They are beautiful and thick, spun from an undyed sheep's wool, or ecru. In more recent times, the wool gets dyed and woven into stripes and other geometric patterns. The Fulani people wore these blankets during the cold months.
Sierra Leone has a traditional cloth named Kpokpo, or country cloth. A heavy cotton cloth made up of many woven strips in a variety of colors. This beautiful fabric was once a symbol of wealth and prestige, so much so that the cloth was even used as sort of hammock to transport chiefs and to mark special occasions. The patterns are familiar to many people today as the style has been borrowed for other global fashions.
Adire fabric is made by the Yoruba people in Nigeria. The fabric was historically colored with a deep indigo dye soaked into a white cotton fabric. Various methods were used to create patterns, such as the tying or wax-resist method. The name adire translates roughly into tied and dyed.
Adire fabric from Nigeria | © Osunwunmi / Flickr
4. Akwete and Aso Oke are two similar cloths that are native to Nigeria. They are similar in style, but they are indigenous to different ethnic groups. Akwete is traditionally made of a coarse hemp material and is woven by Igbo women. Aso Oke is typically woven by men of the Yoruba nation and is worn for special occasions, such as weddings or chieftaincy ceremonies. Both may feature geometric patterns, stripes or traditional motifs.
More to come on other African fabrics that you should know about. Check out some interesting
facts about Akwete here. Until then post a photo on our Facebook or Instagram in your favorite outfit made of African fabric.
“Elevate the Mundane to Majestic.
This rings true of the power of the vibrant and fabulous colors of traditional fabrics across the African continent. Attributes associated with some of these colors include:
Gold- Wealth and Fertility.
Blue - Love & Peace.
Green - Life and Prosperity.
White - Purity.”
