Friday 27 December 2013

AFRICAN FABRICS WAX PRINT HISTORY.


African wax prints started its journey in Indonesia. The Dutch then tried to copy them, but it did not sell well and so they were then exported to the Gold Coast and spread over West Africa into Central Africa. They became extremely popular and over time the Africans customized and personalize the designs.

Where the wax prints originated from is not as important as who values them and has kept used them from generation to generation.

Wax Prints are also made in Africa; they are primarily made in Ghana and have strong cultural, social and economic importance. The patterns tell poems and traditional African fables. The colors also hold significance as they can represent social standing, age, tribal orientation and marital. An example of this is a cloth carrying the proverb “Ahonnee pa nkasa”. Literal meaning precious beads makes no noise. That is, empty barrels make the most noise or a good person needs not blow his own horns.

When we think of African fabrics, the first thing that comes to mind is these traditional African wax prints. Traditional - because they've been sold in African markets since the industrial revolution and many of the original designs are still popular today.

Afrocessories is uses contempoaray fashion to evoke memories and nostalgia. Our creations are hand created with the contemporary clients in mind.