Documenting changing fashion in Africa post-1960
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 men’s narrow strip woven kente cloth was made by Ewe weaver John Kwasi Dometi in 1980. This type of cloth is called ‘Worgbale’, or python skin. The cloth was owned by Jonathan ‘Old Man Young Boy’ Akakpo, and was created for him by the weaver who was father to Esther Dometi, Jonathan’s late wife. Read More …
This narrow strip woven kente cloth was created by an Ewe weaver at Joseph Wordu’s weaving workshop. He employs and trains male weavers and this type of plain cloth has long been woven in his workshop. These cloths are produced for everyday wear and are sold at his local textiles market in Agbozume. Like many Read More …
This pair of unseparated kangas was made in Mombasa, Kenya from machine-printed cotton in 2017. 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 as an outfit with one wrapped as a skirt and one Read More …
This pair of unseparated kangas was made in Kenya from machine-printed cotton in 2017. This is a traditional kanga design, 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 as an outfit with one wrapped as a skirt and Read More …
This pair of unseparated kangas was made in Mombasa, Kenya from machine-printed cotton in 2017. 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 as an outfit with one wrapped as a skirt and one Read More …
This pair of unseparated kangas was made in Mombasa, Kenya from machine-printed cotton in 2017. They feature a floral and trellis design. 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 as an outfit with 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 …
This white African lace buba (blouse), iro (wrap) and pele (shawl) was made in Nigeria and worn by Fashioning Africa Collecting Panelist, Edith Ojo, to a friend’s wedding in 2014. A buba and iro is a matching outfit worn by Yoruba women. African lace (actually industrially produced embroidery originally imported from Austria) is very popular Read More …