Documenting changing fashion in Africa post-1960
This fitted dress and jacket was made for the donor, Fashioning Africa collecting panel member Lou Taylor, by British dressmaker Bill Pashley in 1975. The fabric was made by Alakiti Studio in Lagos, Nigeria, and bought by the donor’s father, Lord Elwyn Jones. Taylor wore the outfit to accompany her father to a diplomatic event. Read More …
This blouse and skirt outfit features puff sleeves and a peplum waist which were typical elements of 1980s style. The wax print fabric features sunflower, butterflies, and drooping lily motifs. This outfit was given to Fashioning Africa collecting panel member Lou Taylor by a Kenyan student of hers. Taylor is a dress historian and used Read More …
This skirt is made from adire eleko fabric. It was bought in Nigeria by Lou Taylor, a British dress historian and Fashioning Africa collecting panel member, who wore and loved it for many years. Adire refers to an indigo cloth that is produced by Yoruba women of southwestern Nigeria through a variety of resist-dye techniques. Read More …
This ‘Peacock’ dress is made from a wax print fabric decorated with brightly coloured beadwork. Eredappa Hart’s designs mix western silouettes with local print fabrics, such as wax print,which are layered with luxurious bead embellishments to create stunning three dimensional pieces. Collected as part of the Fashioning Africa project. Creator: Eredappa Hart Place: Lagos, Lagos Read More …
This jumpsuit is made from an adire inspired fabric decorated with brightly coloured beadwork. Adire is is an indigo fabric from south western Nigeria that is traditionally hand dyed using various resist techniques to create patterns. This version of the fabric is machine printed. Eredappa Hart’s designs mix western silouettes with local print fabrics, such Read More …
This blouse is part of a women’s kaba outfit. A kaba and slit is a two or three piece outfit worn by Ghanaian women, consisting of a fitted blouse with wide sleeves, a wrapper skirt, and sometimes a matching headwrap. This blouse is made from narrow woven kente strips, hand stitched together, and then tailored Read More …
This batakari shirt was purchased by Sylvanus Akakpo in 2002, in Tamale in the northern region of Ghana, whilst he was attending a West Africa Network For Peace training event in the town. A batakari or Ghanaian Smock is a plaid shirt, made from hand woven strips that are sewn together and tailored into a Read More …
This batakari was made from narrow strip woven cloth that were woven, sewn together and tailored by the owner, Sylvanus Akakpo, in 1999. The machine embroidery around the neck was done by a local tailor. Akakpo made it to wear to the local Agotime Kente Festival, which he did from 1999-2015. A batakari or Ghanaian Read More …
This narrow strip woven kente cloth was created by Ewe weaver Exodus Hallo. It was especially commissioned for Nene Akoto Sah VII to wear at the Agotime Kpetoe Kente Festival, an important annual event for Ewe people. Nene Akoto, whose given name is Emmanuel Tetteh, is a respected war chief and prominent member of society. Read More …
A kaba and slit is a two or three piece outfit worn by Ghanaian women, consisting of a fitted blouse with wide sleeves, a wrapper skirt, and sometimes a matching headwrap. This kaba and slit is made from GTP (Ghana Textiles Printing Company) brand fabric, featuring a brown, purple, and blue wax print design. The Read More …