Wax prints ! I have been addicted to these colourful and so typically African materials for fifty years, and have been buying and collecting scraps of them for most of that time. When I lived in Kenya in the 1960's and 70's I bought lengths of kitenge material to make dresses, blouses and skirts for myself, and little dresses for the children, and mens shirts also. (And the trousers I'm wearing at the top of my blog).
Looking through and sorting old photos, I am surprised by how many of them have people in them wearing these prints.
Most of these fabrics are now printed in East Africa, or Zimbabwe, or Ghana; some in Java, some still in England, but they have spread all over Africa, and are made in various qualities, with China now coming into this lucrative market, but with a poorer quality (and therefore cheaper) cotton material. It does mean there is something for everyone. Many of the designs have been around for over 50 years, in various colour-wise, and modern fabrics often have up to date political messages. Obama was popular on some pieces of cloths !
The bag in which I carry my stuff to the office each day is made of wax prints squares, and I have recently bought a book about the origins of wax prints. I even use the scraps I have collected from a friend in Kenya for patchwork pictures, and have recently started on an African patchwork quilt ! I am addicted !
My work bag which I bought a few years ago in Kisumu.
Magie Relph has produced this book; her shop in Yorkshire sells African prints that she buys in bulk every year on trips to Mali, Zimbabwe, Ghana and so on. http://www.africanfabric.co.uk/
And finally, one of those accidental photos showing African print at its best ...
Did she purposely pick red flowers to match her dress ?
No comments:
Post a Comment