Documenting changing fashion in Africa post-1960
This wax print skirt was produced as a promotional item by ABC textiles in the 1990s. Wax print, also called Dutch wax or Ankara, has a history that is tied up with colonialism. Originally inspired by Javanese batik designs from Dutch colonies in Indonesia, Dutch manufacturers began mass producing printed textiles which mimicked the look Read More …
This wax print skirt was produced as a promotional item by ABC textiles in the 1990s. Wax print, also called Dutch wax or Ankara, has a history that is tied up with colonialism. Originally inspired by Javanese batik designs from Dutch colonies in Indonesia, Dutch manufacturers began mass producing printed textiles which mimicked the look Read More …
These wax print trousers were produced as a promotional item by ABC textiles in the 1990s. Wax print, also called Dutch wax or Ankara, has a history that is tied up with colonialism. Originally inspired by Javanese batik designs from Dutch colonies in Indonesia, Dutch manufacturers began mass producing printed textiles which mimicked the look Read More …
This wax print skirt was produced as a promotional item by ABC textiles in the 1990s. Wax print, also called Dutch wax or Ankara, has a history that is tied up with colonialism. Originally inspired by Javanese batik designs from Dutch colonies in Indonesia, Dutch manufacturers began mass producing printed textiles which mimicked the look Read More …
This wax print blouse was produced as a promotional item by ABC textiles in the 1990s. Wax print, also called Dutch wax or Ankara, has a history that is tied up with colonialism. Originally inspired by Javanese batik designs from Dutch colonies in Indonesia, Dutch manufacturers began mass producing printed textiles which mimicked the look Read More …
Women’s shawl made from traditional Mogagolwane blanket fabric, called Loballa, also called ‘scotch’ blanket because of the tartan-like design. These blankets are associated with, and popular amongst, people with Tswana heritage from Botswana and South Africa. They are often worn with outfits made of shweshwe (also called German print). This shawl belonged to and was Read More …
This skirt is made of shweshwe, the iconic printed cotton textile that is so popular it has become known as the denim of southern Africa. The name shweshwe 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 Read More …
This occasion or bridal wear woman’s outfit consists of a buba (blouse), iro (wrap skirt), pele (shawl) and matching gele (headwrap). It is made of hand woven aso-oke fabric, tailored and embellished with crystals. It was designed and made by Abiola Aso-oke, a generational aso-oke fashion business in Lagos. It took eight weeks to produce Read More …
This leather outfit was part of Clive Rundle’s collection entitled AFRIDESIA, originally presented at the New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in 2003. Each piece is a complex construction involving intricate processes. While his work has a sculptural quality, Rundle says it is the discipline of making garments to be worn on the body that motivates Read More …
This T shirt is one of many designs produced for the South African presidential elections in 1994, the country’s first fully representative democratic election. It was worn in support of the African National Congress (ANC) party and their candidate Nelson Mandela, who became South Africa’s first black head of state. This form of ‘protest’ or Read More …