How African print matches, mixes in fashion

Chippa Legodimo | Friday January 23, 2015 17:36

 

Popularly known as Leteisi locally, Nigerians call it the Ankara,while the Zambians refer to it as the Kitenge.

This fabric has in recent years gained popularity across the cultural and age divide.

A new generation of designers has given it new meaning producing some trendy cuts, suitable for the fashion savvy to complement other accoutrements of style.   Yinka Shonibare, a well-known Nigerian artist whose works often feature these, however, begs to differ with this popular belief on African print.   She says, “this is not actually African print, this fabric is not really authentically African as many people might think”.

Shonibare believes the fabric’s origins can be traced back to the Netherlands where it was imported by the West African markets some decades ago.  She says the print is a crossbreed of different cultural backgrounds.

Just like the denim, the African print, which is usually characterised by vibrant colours, is used for flattering contemporary designs from dresses to jackets, tops to trousers, stunning skirts, and feminine bags, shoes and jewellery.

This has caught international attention with celebrated personalities like Solange Knowles and Gwen Stefani seen about donning Africa’s colourful print. Stefani used the African print to make some of the smallest minis known to man.  Even the Marni collection for H&M is studded with the Africa print.

Last year saw the African print gain even more popularity, in Botswana especially.  The fashion industry applied a lot of creativity in fusing the fabric into various urban designs like denims.

The celebrity culture helps fuel its momentum and its public dominance on the streets, where it is easy to see the impact of African print, has made it even more appealing.

In the past year alone, many local events’ dress codes were even themed ‘African print’.

According to local designer and African print enthusiast, Neo Oke, she chose to go with the fabric three years ago upon the realisation that it was the next ‘in thing’.  “People could not resist my creativity and they begged me for more designs.  That is when I realised that it was high time I started my own line.  Amazingly the reception has been awesome,” Oke said.

Oke, who owns African Lace Productions, designs jewellery, bags, shoes, cover and hats. She said she opted to focus on these after realising that many people use the African print only on garments.

African Lace usually exhibits on different platforms like women expos, trade fairs as well as weekly exhibitions.

A local fashion enthusiast, Jennifer Letshwiti said: “I like African print because it brings out the African in me and it is a strong fabric.  I prefer dresses and skirts because they are more comfortable and again one can use other materials with it”.

The popularity of the African print is further demonstrated by another trend in which people, especially the youth, buy new garments and change them to fit in pieces of the prints. These include designer jeans, shirts and even formal jackets.

So with the revolution and advancement of fashion the African print is no longer confined to social gatherings, it has broken traditional barriers where only women’s clothes developed from the cloth.  Now it is donned and adored by both men and women, and continues to be a garment of choice even beyond Africa’s borders.

Interestingly, while the African print has gradually found its space into major fashion trends and easily gelled with other fabrics to produce urban and hip designs, it has stubbornly remained one of the preferred traditional ceremonial costumes.