The Chanel of Africa
October 30, 2015 11:38 AM Subscribe
As the main supplier of fashion prints to nearly half a continent, the textile company has continued to dominate that fashion scene there for almost 170 years. How’d that happen? Rooted in European colonialism and a testament to African ingenuity, creativity, and cultural pride; it’s a surprising story…
Great post!
I love these fabrics. I have so much AWESOME brightly colored fabrics, some of which were made into wonderful brightly colored outfits for fetes! I really like the explanation for the chicken/egg pagne - a lot of women around where I work have that - but there are a few other odd fabrics. One of my friends had a dress made out of this "God's Eye" fabric, for example. There's another one that I can't find pictures of which is bright yellow with red hands, and then a recurring motif of disembodied fingers (all approximately to scale). I saw a woman with a dress made of this fabric, and she'd had the tailor cut out hands and applique one on each breast, and then made the straps for the dress out of the fingers, stitched together.
Vlisco Stories is a cool website to look around with all sorts of interpretations of the patterns and women's stories about them.
posted by ChuraChura at 12:02 PM on October 30, 2015 [4 favorites]
I love these fabrics. I have so much AWESOME brightly colored fabrics, some of which were made into wonderful brightly colored outfits for fetes! I really like the explanation for the chicken/egg pagne - a lot of women around where I work have that - but there are a few other odd fabrics. One of my friends had a dress made out of this "God's Eye" fabric, for example. There's another one that I can't find pictures of which is bright yellow with red hands, and then a recurring motif of disembodied fingers (all approximately to scale). I saw a woman with a dress made of this fabric, and she'd had the tailor cut out hands and applique one on each breast, and then made the straps for the dress out of the fingers, stitched together.
Vlisco Stories is a cool website to look around with all sorts of interpretations of the patterns and women's stories about them.
posted by ChuraChura at 12:02 PM on October 30, 2015 [4 favorites]
OH the hours I have spent lusting after Vlisco. But soooo expensive, and most of the prints only come in 5-yard cuts, and who needs that much of the same print? Also I would probably look ridiculous in those vivid large-scale prints, being a tiny white lady in a rural northern town. But I love them so much. Great article, thanks!
posted by HotToddy at 12:04 PM on October 30, 2015
posted by HotToddy at 12:04 PM on October 30, 2015
ChuraChura I myself fell in love with Woodin in Abidjan earlier this month. They will cut the 5 yards into 2 and 3 yard lengths for you.
posted by infini at 12:12 PM on October 30, 2015
posted by infini at 12:12 PM on October 30, 2015
Another thing that's neat about these fabrics around where I work is that, for fetes during funerals (and, I think weddings, but I haven't been invited to a wedding), the family of the person who passed away all get pagnes of the same fabric and have clothes made out of them. Dresses, skirts, shirts, pants, etc. My friend Charlie's dad unfortunately passed away this summer while I was in the field, and not only did they invite me to the fete for his funeral, but they also saved me a piece of the pagne to make a dress out of to illustrate that I was part of the family. It is one of the things that made me the happiest this summer. The dress I made was badass, too! I didn't get any pictures of it, but the fabric was this awesome teal and brown geometric pattern that I made into an awesome 1970s-esque sheath dress and danced the night away avec ma famille.
posted by ChuraChura at 12:14 PM on October 30, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 12:14 PM on October 30, 2015 [7 favorites]
I have always wondered about the incredible fabrics African women wear. I so love these. Thanks.
posted by Oyéah at 12:19 PM on October 30, 2015
posted by Oyéah at 12:19 PM on October 30, 2015
all get pagnes of the same fabric and have clothes made out of them. Dresses, skirts, shirts, pants, etc.
Aso-ebi (translation: cloth of the family) is used to refer to the outfits made from matching fabric and pattern worn by family members (though it now applies to anyone who can afford one or would like to wear one) at a wedding ceremony or social event to denote unity, support, and represent sides of the family.
Mind you, that's only for Nigeria.
posted by infini at 12:28 PM on October 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Aso-ebi (translation: cloth of the family) is used to refer to the outfits made from matching fabric and pattern worn by family members (though it now applies to anyone who can afford one or would like to wear one) at a wedding ceremony or social event to denote unity, support, and represent sides of the family.
Mind you, that's only for Nigeria.
posted by infini at 12:28 PM on October 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Awesome! I first heard about waxed cotton as material for baby carriers (Kangas), often made to coordinate with the woman's outfit. But this is just endlessly fascinating. Thank you.
posted by The Toad at 12:50 PM on October 30, 2015
posted by The Toad at 12:50 PM on October 30, 2015
I had no idea. I assumed there were African factories making this fabric. This is just fascinating, thank you for the post.
posted by gerstle at 2:10 PM on October 30, 2015
posted by gerstle at 2:10 PM on October 30, 2015
Came in to drop work by an artist that interacts with this idea.
As an aside, I've liked/been enamored by the beautiful batiks and the variety that you find across countries (ie, what you can find in Malawi vs. Democratic Republique of Congo/Zaire vs. Liberia). I own some fabrics that I picked in different countries, too, and had assumed for many years that it was produced somewhere within Africa.
It wasn't until I saw the work of Yinka Shonibare that I realized that ... it fits the narrative of the article posted, but it has more of a negative spin in his artwork (the art stands for itself, and asks questions about colonialism, consuming products created somewhere else for people in a different continent). Not saying that I agree/disagree with his sentiments, but to me, his art work is interesting, especially since you will see the beautiful cloth and the people are often headless.
I couldn't find the same pictures that I found in the past, but here are a few (you can click and make them bigger if interested).
posted by Wolfster at 5:27 PM on October 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
As an aside, I've liked/been enamored by the beautiful batiks and the variety that you find across countries (ie, what you can find in Malawi vs. Democratic Republique of Congo/Zaire vs. Liberia). I own some fabrics that I picked in different countries, too, and had assumed for many years that it was produced somewhere within Africa.
It wasn't until I saw the work of Yinka Shonibare that I realized that ... it fits the narrative of the article posted, but it has more of a negative spin in his artwork (the art stands for itself, and asks questions about colonialism, consuming products created somewhere else for people in a different continent). Not saying that I agree/disagree with his sentiments, but to me, his art work is interesting, especially since you will see the beautiful cloth and the people are often headless.
I couldn't find the same pictures that I found in the past, but here are a few (you can click and make them bigger if interested).
posted by Wolfster at 5:27 PM on October 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Lovely post, infini.
I assumed there were African factories making this fabric
There are factories in Ghana. There used to be in Nigeria too - doing O-level art visiting a factory was one of our field trips (we also visited the market to buy dye used by traditional home dyers) and designing for the industry was suggested as a possible career for us. Since we were studying such a trivial subject as art! But Nigeria's infrastructure became so wrecked it's just about impossible to sustain a factory in the absence of dependable water, power and roads. Possibly Buhari will make a difference.
You need 5 yards for the wrapper, a shorter wrapper on top and a head scarf. I find one maxi dress and a head tie won't leave much over from the five yards though. Maybe enough to make a garment for a small child.
Here's a blog post that goes into the recent history of the dutch wax prints - the Chinese have entered the market and bought out many of the old manufacterers, not all of which were in Holland. Brunnschweiler was based in Manchester, and devolved into ABC Printers mentioned in the link before this. I think Vlisco is the only European printers left. Their prices are high, but so is the quality, things like colour registration, dye fixing etc. But I was delighted to find I've got one of their famous designs, the rampant horses. Different colourway though - and it was dead cheap, and probably a second as the registration is off.
I have a nostalgic liking for the old-fashioned designs, which tend to be graphic and linear, and have fairly harsh colours which show up any missed registration happening. That's just part of the look. Super Woodin is more modern, softer and subtle and some of the Chinese designs tend to be more...pretty, somehow. Flowers and butterflies and things. To me they're not quite right.
In Nigeria the dutch-wax-influenced cotton cloth is called ankara. While it's the most ordinary normal thing there's certain ways of wearing it that are a bit of a statement. I mean clothes and fashion and signification is an incredibly sophisticated complicated topic, which I hardly even know how to begin to discuss. And each country has its own variations, imported and home produced, and also its own indigenous craft traditions; which may or may not affect what is casual wear, what is prestige wear, how the designs influence each other, and how they are borrowed across traditions and so on.
posted by glasseyes at 9:19 PM on October 30, 2015 [6 favorites]
I assumed there were African factories making this fabric
There are factories in Ghana. There used to be in Nigeria too - doing O-level art visiting a factory was one of our field trips (we also visited the market to buy dye used by traditional home dyers) and designing for the industry was suggested as a possible career for us. Since we were studying such a trivial subject as art! But Nigeria's infrastructure became so wrecked it's just about impossible to sustain a factory in the absence of dependable water, power and roads. Possibly Buhari will make a difference.
You need 5 yards for the wrapper, a shorter wrapper on top and a head scarf. I find one maxi dress and a head tie won't leave much over from the five yards though. Maybe enough to make a garment for a small child.
Here's a blog post that goes into the recent history of the dutch wax prints - the Chinese have entered the market and bought out many of the old manufacterers, not all of which were in Holland. Brunnschweiler was based in Manchester, and devolved into ABC Printers mentioned in the link before this. I think Vlisco is the only European printers left. Their prices are high, but so is the quality, things like colour registration, dye fixing etc. But I was delighted to find I've got one of their famous designs, the rampant horses. Different colourway though - and it was dead cheap, and probably a second as the registration is off.
I have a nostalgic liking for the old-fashioned designs, which tend to be graphic and linear, and have fairly harsh colours which show up any missed registration happening. That's just part of the look. Super Woodin is more modern, softer and subtle and some of the Chinese designs tend to be more...pretty, somehow. Flowers and butterflies and things. To me they're not quite right.
In Nigeria the dutch-wax-influenced cotton cloth is called ankara. While it's the most ordinary normal thing there's certain ways of wearing it that are a bit of a statement. I mean clothes and fashion and signification is an incredibly sophisticated complicated topic, which I hardly even know how to begin to discuss. And each country has its own variations, imported and home produced, and also its own indigenous craft traditions; which may or may not affect what is casual wear, what is prestige wear, how the designs influence each other, and how they are borrowed across traditions and so on.
posted by glasseyes at 9:19 PM on October 30, 2015 [6 favorites]
Oh I've got 'lips' as well but with a yellow patch on the blue lips on a white background.
posted by glasseyes at 9:28 PM on October 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by glasseyes at 9:28 PM on October 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've only spent a small amount of time in West Africa, but I loved browsing in the big fabric markets, both the imported prints and the local indigo weaving and mud cloth. I still have some pieces I bought then -- I should just hang it on a wall because I will never turn it into clothes and it is too beautiful to have in a closet. If or when I go back, it will be hard to not buy ridiculous amounts of material, because it is an art form in itself.
The photos and descriptions in the main link, and especially the photos in the comments here, are great.
posted by Dip Flash at 2:02 AM on October 31, 2015
The photos and descriptions in the main link, and especially the photos in the comments here, are great.
posted by Dip Flash at 2:02 AM on October 31, 2015
Wolfster, that is just gorgeous, thank you. Btw, have you seen Njideka Akunyili Crosby - just came across her work last night
posted by infini at 4:11 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by infini at 4:11 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
I was hoping very much that you would share, glasseyes, thank you!
From what little I could tell in a very short visit to Abidjan (Cote D'Ivoire, the core of the francophone W/Africa) chic style was obvious even in a "casual weekend".
Here is one young lady. Here is a Woodin dress. But neither is the most chic one I saw. The lady in first row extreme right.
What I like is that there's very little evidence of mitumba - the second hand stuff that floods E/Africa's clothes trade, and tailoring is a profession, as is design.
posted by infini at 4:30 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
From what little I could tell in a very short visit to Abidjan (Cote D'Ivoire, the core of the francophone W/Africa) chic style was obvious even in a "casual weekend".
Here is one young lady. Here is a Woodin dress. But neither is the most chic one I saw. The lady in first row extreme right.
What I like is that there's very little evidence of mitumba - the second hand stuff that floods E/Africa's clothes trade, and tailoring is a profession, as is design.
posted by infini at 4:30 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Around the same time, a new fashion appeared in Mombasa and spread across East Africa with such influence that it remains a feature of feminine coastal culture and inland dressing till today. This was the creation of what is now known as leso or kanga. This patterned cloth was originally produced through block prints in Mombasa or Zanzibar on merikani cloth but soon was printed and sold out of Bombay. Today, kangas sold in East Africa are still often printed in India. This printed cloth has for nearly 150 years sustained an Indian textile industry that is meant specifically for East Africa.
posted by infini at 4:30 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by infini at 4:30 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
What lovely pictures, infini. My goodness, if we only had fabric boutiques like that in Nigeria! I've certainly never ever seen one there, when you want cloth you go to the market, a raucous experience. But then I've never lived in Lagos, where I hear they have actual skyscrapers - in Ibadan, which is a massive town, we have about three. Nigeria has been so ruinously de-developed it's almost unbelievable.
Here's a modern take on aso ebi, one I'm hopelessly out of sympathy with as I seem to be in the middle of a terminal case of old fogeyism only, the conspicuous consumption in the middle of ruinous infrastructure GETS ON MY NERVES.
There's a fabric called George in Nigeria which I think has always been imported from India, since its other name is Madras. Lately it's become more ornate, using man-made fibres instead of cotton, so the sensibility of wearing it is more showy than it used to be. I don't know if the new, shiny George is now made in China but I think it's likely.
I'll be visiting home soon and I've had the sewing machine out in preparation, making dresses from ankara. My feelings about Nigerian dress are complicated. Formal dress is one thing but casual everyday wear is something I have to work with to adapt to my sense of bodily comfort. So many messages in clothes.
posted by glasseyes at 7:27 AM on October 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
Here's a modern take on aso ebi, one I'm hopelessly out of sympathy with as I seem to be in the middle of a terminal case of old fogeyism only, the conspicuous consumption in the middle of ruinous infrastructure GETS ON MY NERVES.
There's a fabric called George in Nigeria which I think has always been imported from India, since its other name is Madras. Lately it's become more ornate, using man-made fibres instead of cotton, so the sensibility of wearing it is more showy than it used to be. I don't know if the new, shiny George is now made in China but I think it's likely.
I'll be visiting home soon and I've had the sewing machine out in preparation, making dresses from ankara. My feelings about Nigerian dress are complicated. Formal dress is one thing but casual everyday wear is something I have to work with to adapt to my sense of bodily comfort. So many messages in clothes.
posted by glasseyes at 7:27 AM on October 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
Forgot to say - of course when I'm at home I could get outfits made very cheaply, but there's this impulse to put spangles and frills all over the place "Why do you want to look like a soldier?". Glamorous I am not.
posted by glasseyes at 7:30 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by glasseyes at 7:30 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just one more comment! I've a friend at home who's been a seamstress for 30-40 years. The seamstresses guild is a strong, supportive network that meets monthly to sort out things like prices, wages, apprenticeships and marketing etc. It's an example of one of the resilient social structures that keep Nigeria functioning in spite of the appalling political/economic corruption.
Nigeria is flooded with dreadful rags of second hand clothes and I think people in general look worse than 30 years ago because of this. But then most people are worse off than 30 years ago, same as in developed countries. Bend Down, Select they call the stalls, cos the clothes are lying on the ground.
I dunno, I think I may be jaundiced because my particular home town had a dreadful state governor and was in a long term depression for years. Consensus is that Buhari is improving things.
Nigerian traditional craft fabrics would be a whole huge post by itself though I don't know how many good sources are available online - I suspect they're kind of drowned out by contemporary blogging.
posted by glasseyes at 8:16 AM on October 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
Nigeria is flooded with dreadful rags of second hand clothes and I think people in general look worse than 30 years ago because of this. But then most people are worse off than 30 years ago, same as in developed countries. Bend Down, Select they call the stalls, cos the clothes are lying on the ground.
I dunno, I think I may be jaundiced because my particular home town had a dreadful state governor and was in a long term depression for years. Consensus is that Buhari is improving things.
Nigerian traditional craft fabrics would be a whole huge post by itself though I don't know how many good sources are available online - I suspect they're kind of drowned out by contemporary blogging.
posted by glasseyes at 8:16 AM on October 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
Worry not, glasseyes, Woodin now brought to you by e-commerce platform Jumia
Just discovered Woodin is apparently one of Vlisco's brands - everyone said it was local to the region, I hadn't wanted to buy imported.
Good gad, Nigerian weddings ;p I can't decide between them and the Indian OTT ones!
posted by infini at 8:22 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just discovered Woodin is apparently one of Vlisco's brands - everyone said it was local to the region, I hadn't wanted to buy imported.
Good gad, Nigerian weddings ;p I can't decide between them and the Indian OTT ones!
posted by infini at 8:22 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Nigerian traditional craft fabrics would be a whole huge post by itself though I don't know how many good sources are available online - I suspect they're kind of drowned out by contemporary blogging.
*spaniel puppy eyes at glasseyes*
posted by infini at 8:24 AM on October 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
*spaniel puppy eyes at glasseyes*
posted by infini at 8:24 AM on October 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
Oh hey, they sell these fabrics in an African store here in downtown Durham. Gorgeous prints!
posted by oceanjesse at 9:17 AM on October 31, 2015
posted by oceanjesse at 9:17 AM on October 31, 2015
Woodin part of Vlisco - well some of the cloth might be locally made and designed.
I say heh! to your spaniel puppy eyes! All the eyes in the world won't find sources where there are none mind. I spose I might look but I do think most info is going to be in print. Nigeria Magazine is a wonderful archive of cultural treasures but I don't think any of it has been digitized except maybe the index.
posted by glasseyes at 9:50 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
I say heh! to your spaniel puppy eyes! All the eyes in the world won't find sources where there are none mind. I spose I might look but I do think most info is going to be in print. Nigeria Magazine is a wonderful archive of cultural treasures but I don't think any of it has been digitized except maybe the index.
posted by glasseyes at 9:50 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
glasseyes, you may be right - Woodin's ownership changed to the private equity firm that owns all of these (rather than Woodin being a Vlisco brand per se, its the result of M&A).
Ghana is home to several wax print manufacturers including Woodin, a subsidiary of Holland’s Vlisco and ATL which is a subsidiary of Manchester-based ABC textiles. Again it is interesting to note that even though these textiles are now manufactured in African countries, the companies that manufacture them are largely still European.
Tapping the $31 Billion Africa Opportunity
Buying Fabric in Accra
Fake fabrics threaten Ghana's textile industry
Do consumers prefer locally made textile to imported ones or vice versa, and what accounts for this choice? A recent study (2011) using survey data of industry, traders and consumers revealed an interesting and surprising fact; Ghanaians prefer locally produced textiles. This not only bucks the trend of Africans in general, and Ghanaians in particular, preferring imported goods, it also shows the Ghanaian government is missing an important trick.
posted by infini at 10:08 AM on October 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
Ghana is home to several wax print manufacturers including Woodin, a subsidiary of Holland’s Vlisco and ATL which is a subsidiary of Manchester-based ABC textiles. Again it is interesting to note that even though these textiles are now manufactured in African countries, the companies that manufacture them are largely still European.
Tapping the $31 Billion Africa Opportunity
Buying Fabric in Accra
Fake fabrics threaten Ghana's textile industry
Do consumers prefer locally made textile to imported ones or vice versa, and what accounts for this choice? A recent study (2011) using survey data of industry, traders and consumers revealed an interesting and surprising fact; Ghanaians prefer locally produced textiles. This not only bucks the trend of Africans in general, and Ghanaians in particular, preferring imported goods, it also shows the Ghanaian government is missing an important trick.
posted by infini at 10:08 AM on October 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
Oil should have made the country rich. Instead, it has distorted its economy, corrupted its political class, paved the way for Boko Haram — and killed off a thriving textile industry
posted by infini at 11:02 AM on October 31, 2015
posted by infini at 11:02 AM on October 31, 2015
and killed off a thriving textile industry
Yes it did that. and all the other stuff Some time in the 80's my sister brought loads of beautiful factory-made cloth, some printed, some woven, to me in England saying "it's all made in Nigeria! We're really taking off!" and then 15 years later all the factories were closed. Not just industries ended but also cash crop production. I know I've seen articles on line about the sickness that afflicts oil-producing countries.
posted by glasseyes at 11:27 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yes it did that. and all the other stuff Some time in the 80's my sister brought loads of beautiful factory-made cloth, some printed, some woven, to me in England saying "it's all made in Nigeria! We're really taking off!" and then 15 years later all the factories were closed. Not just industries ended but also cash crop production. I know I've seen articles on line about the sickness that afflicts oil-producing countries.
posted by glasseyes at 11:27 AM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Well, here is a lovely tumbler, The Nigerian Nostalgia Project.
posted by glasseyes at 11:47 AM on October 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by glasseyes at 11:47 AM on October 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
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