Daily Dose: African Prints
So for today’s daily dose I want to focus on African prints and African fashion. Not only are these prints and designs beautiful and eye- catching, they have been a hit on the streets and runways here in the U.S recently. African fashion is “identified by the use of African print fabrics, such as Kente, Ankara or the wax print, and the embodiment of African themes in designer creations” According to Edna Owusu-Ansah who wrote a great article about African fashion and its background and influences.
In her article, she states the wax fabric did not originally have much fashion value, at least to the younger generation. They were mostly worn to weddings and celebrations and were usually fashioned in very specific ways. These prints were more popular with dressmakers as opposed to designers.
In the 2000’s a transformation occurred when print media popularized African fashion locally with spreads of varied wax print styles. Consequently, African fashion began to spread more on a international level and the trend here in the U.S. caught on.
Some important designers that truly set the bar in African fashion include Kofi Ansah, Joyce Ababio, Abba Folawiyo, Olujimi King. They later inspired Deola Sagoe, Aisha Obuobi (Christie Brown) , Ozwald Boateng, Duro Olowu and Lisa Folawiyo.
Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Eley Kishimoto, Jean Paul Gaultier, Thakoon, Louis Vuitton, Diane Von Furstenberg, Gwen Stefani, Dries van Noten, Kenzo and Paul Smith are only a few of the designers that have been inspired by African prints and designs for their collections.
The important thing when it comes to fashion is the story and the life of a piece. I wanted to do a story on this because it can be very easy to simply see a pretty design, buy it, wear it around and not even know where it came from or who made it or what its history is. I think it is important to be respectful and to learn about the culture and the history of a piece of clothing a little bit before you wear it. I gave just a tiny bit of information from a great article that I will link to below but if you are interested in African fashion there is so much more in depth information out there! Be an informed member of the fashion community. Check it out and see what you learn!
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