Documenting changing fashion in Africa post-1960
This kanga was made in Kenya from machine printed cotton in the early 1990s. The design features palm trees. Kangas are bought in pairs and worn as an outfit with one wrapped as a skirt and one as a top, shawl or headcovering. They usually feature a slogan which is used to make a statement, Read More …
This kanga was made in Kenya from machine printed cotton in the late 1980s. The design features a map of Africa with Kenya highlighted in green. Traditional kanga designs are inspired by guineafowl, a speckled bird found across sub-Saharan Africa, – ‘kanga’ is the Kiswahili word for guineafoul. Kangas are bought in pairs and worn Read More …
The design of this indigo cloth is known as ‘Ibadandun’, meaning Ibadan [the capital of Oyo state, Nigeria] is great. The pattern, which depicts the windows of the city’s mosque, is created using the adire eleko technique. Cassava paste is applied to cloth through a stencil or painted on. Areas where this is painted resist Read More …
The design of this indigo cloth is known as ‘Olukun’, which means goddess of the sea. The pattern is created using an adire eleko technique on two pieces of white fabric that have been sewn into a square. Adire is an indigo cloth produced through diverse resist dye methods by Yoruba women in southwestern Nigeria. Read More …
Description: The design of this indigo cloth is known as ‘Sun Bebe’, recalling the sound and movement of the waist beads worn by women when dancing. The pattern is created using the adire eleko technique on two pieces of white fabric that have been sewn into a square. Adire is an indigo cloth produced through Read More …
This Asante kente cloth was made in Ghana before 1990. Kente refers to a textile that is made by weaving coloured cotton and silk into varied and intricate patterns. The practice was originated by the Asante and Ewe people in Ghana. Collected as part of the Fashioning Africa project. Creator: unknown Place: Ghana, West Africa, Read More …
This is a Kanga from Kenya, East Africa, made from machine-printed cotton in the 1980s. The design features blue and yellow gourds and a yellow leaf motif. The centre panel depicts a kora – a harp-like stringed instrument from Western Africa. Kangas are bought in pairs and worn as an outfit with one wrapped as Read More …
This is a Kanga from Kenya, East Africa, made from machine-printed cotton in the 1980s. The design features red scallops, dove motifs, and the ‘Venus’ (female) symbol. Kangas are bought in pairs and worn as an outfit with one wrapped as a skirt and one as a top, shawl or headcovering. They usually feature a Read More …
This is a Kanga from Kenya, East Africa, made from machine-printed cotton in the 1980s. The design features red scallops, dove motifs, and the ‘Venus’ (female) symbol. Kangas are bought in pairs and worn as an outfit with one wrapped as a skirt and one as a top, shawl or headcovering. They usually feature a Read More …
This is one of a pair of Kangas from Kenya, East Africa, made from machine-printed cotton in the 1980s. The design features red and green flowers, and its central motif is an encircled map of Africa. The red, green and black spots on this design are inspired by guineafowl, a speckled bird found across sub-Saharan Read More …