Menu

Fashioning Africa

Documenting changing fashion in Africa post-1960

Primary Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Find Out More About the Project
    • Collecting Panel
    • Sourcing the New Collection
    • Access and Events
    • Textiles Study Day
    • Textiles Training and Skills Development
    • Further Reading
  • Explore The New Collection
    • Art & Photography
    • Garments
    • Textiles
    • Accessories
    • View by Country
  • See Exhibition and Display Archives
    • Fashion Cities Africa Exhibition
      • Fashion Cities Africa Films
      • Featured Designers
      • Fashion Cities Africa by Hannah Azieb Pool
    • Fashion Cities Africa: Brighton Stories Display
    • Framing Fashion Display
    • Object Journeys Displays
      • Township Journeys
      • Aso Oke: A Celebration of Style
  • Acknowledgements
Search
Home »View all posts by  kathleenlawther (Page 11)

Author:

Square brown, black and yellow basotho blanket with a design of corncobs and crowns

R6095/3 Textile; Blanket

Posted on

This thick blanket is an iconic textile in southern Africa. Originating in Lesotho, they are associated with King Moshoeshoe I (c. 1786 – 1870) who was also responsible for popularising shweshwe fabric. Basotho blankets are worn around the shoulders secured with a large pin, reminescent of the way in which Sotho men would have traditionally Read More …

CategoriesExplore Flat Textile CollectionsTagsBasotho blanket, South Africa, textiles

square green and yellow basotho blanket with a design of corncobs and crowns

R6095/2 Textile; Blanket

Posted on

This thick blanket is an iconic textile in southern Africa. Originating in Lesotho, they are associated with King Moshoeshoe I (c. 1786 – 1870) who was also responsible for popularising shweshwe fabric. Basotho blankets are worn around the shoulders secured with a large pin, reminescent of the way in which Sotho men would have traditionally Read More …

CategoriesExplore Flat Textile CollectionsTagsBasotho blanket, South Africa, textiles

bright orange and pink printed cotton textile

R6095/13 Textile; Shweshwe

Posted on

Shweshwe is a printed cotton fabric that is so ubiquitous in southern Africa that it has been called the denim of the region. The name is derived from King Moshoeshoe I of Lesotho (c. 1786 – 1870) who first popularised it. It is also known as German cloth after the Swiss and German settlers who Read More …

CategoriesExplore Flat Textile CollectionsTagsshweshwe, South Africa, textiles

square wool basotho blanket in bold stripes of purple, yellow, blue, red and green.

R6095/1 Textile; Blanket

Posted on

This thick woollen blanket is an iconic textile in southern Africa. Originating in Lesotho, they are associated with King Moshoeshoe I (c. 1786 – 1870) who was also responsible for popularising shweshwe fabric. Basotho blankets are worn around the shoulders secured with a large pin, reminescent of the way in which Sotho men would have Read More …

CategoriesExplore Flat Textile CollectionsTagsBasotho blanket, South Africa, textiles

Cover of women's fashion magazine with women wearing aso-oke and African lace outfits

R6094/8 Magazine

Posted on

This Nigerian women’s fashion magazine showcases contemporary styles of aso-oke and African lace outfits. Collected as part of the Fashioning Africa project. Creator: Fashion & Style Magazine Place: Nigeria, West Africa, Africa Date: 2018

CategoriesExplore Accessories and Object CollectionsTagsAccessories, Accessories Hair Styling & Make Up, gender and age, Nigeria

A strip of handwoven aso-oke cloth in stripes of coral, red and purple

R6094/7 Textile strip; Aso-oke

Posted on

This strip of aso-oke fabric was collected by Fashioning Africa collecting panel member Edith Ojo in 2018 to represent contemporary aso-oke styles. Aso-oke, which translates as ‘top cloth’ or ‘high status cloth’ is a formal textile, traditionally woven by men. Its is primarily made from cotton or silk, woven in long narrow strips which are Read More …

CategoriesExplore Flat Textile CollectionsTagsaso-oke, Nigeria, textiles

Pale and dark blue strip of aso-oke fabric

R6094/6 Textile strip; Aso-oke

Posted on

This strip of aso-oke fabric was collected by Fashioning Africa collecting panel member Edith Ojo in 2018 to represent contemporary aso-oke styles. Aso-oke, which translates as ‘top cloth’ or ‘high status cloth’ is a formal textile, traditionally woven by men. Its is primarily made from cotton or silk, woven in long narrow strips which are Read More …

CategoriesExplore Flat Textile CollectionsTagsaso-oke, Nigeria, textiles

Orange and teal strip of aso-oke fabric

R6094/5 Textile strip; Aso-oke

Posted on

This strip of aso-oke fabric was collected by Fashioning Africa collecting panel member Edith Ojo in 2018 to represent contemporary aso-oke styles. Aso-oke, which translates as ‘top cloth’ or ‘high status cloth’ is a formal textile, traditionally woven by men. Its is primarily made from cotton or silk, woven in long narrow strips which are Read More …

CategoriesExplore Flat Textile CollectionsTagsaso-oke, Nigeria, textiles

Dark blue strip of aso-oke fabric

R6094/4 Textile strip; Aso-oke

Posted on

This strip of aso-oke fabric was collected by Fashioning Africa collecting panel member Edith Ojo in 2018 to represent contemporary aso-oke styles. Aso-oke, which translates as ‘top cloth’ or ‘high status cloth’ is a formal textile, traditionally woven by men. Its is primarily made from cotton or silk, woven in long narrow strips which are Read More …

CategoriesExplore Flat Textile CollectionsTagsaso-oke, Nigeria, textiles

Turquoise strip of aso-oke fabric

R6094/3 Textile strip; Aso-oke

Posted on

This strip of aso-oke fabric was collected by Fashioning Africa collecting panel member Edith Ojo in 2018 to represent contemporary aso-oke styles. Aso-oke, which translates as ‘top cloth’ or ‘high status cloth’ is a formal textile, traditionally woven by men. Its is primarily made from cotton or silk, woven in long narrow strips which are Read More …

CategoriesExplore Flat Textile CollectionsTagsaso-oke, Nigeria, textiles

Post navigation

← Older posts
Newer posts →
Copyright © 2025 Fashioning Africa. All Rights Reserved. | Catch Responsive by Catch Themes
Scroll Up
  • Home
  • Find Out More About the Project
    • Collecting Panel
    • Sourcing the New Collection
    • Access and Events
    • Textiles Study Day
    • Textiles Training and Skills Development
    • Further Reading
  • Explore The New Collection
    • Art & Photography
    • Garments
    • Textiles
    • Accessories
    • View by Country
  • See Exhibition and Display Archives
    • Fashion Cities Africa Exhibition
      • Fashion Cities Africa Films
      • Featured Designers
      • Fashion Cities Africa by Hannah Azieb Pool
    • Fashion Cities Africa: Brighton Stories Display
    • Framing Fashion Display
    • Object Journeys Displays
      • Township Journeys
      • Aso Oke: A Celebration of Style
  • Acknowledgements
Cookies
We use cookies to improve the functionality of our website.

Please accept these or set your preferences.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}