The Colorful History of African Wax Print Dresses

When we think of wax fabric, the myriad of stunningly striking patterns and palettes spring to mind. But look a little closer and you’ll find a complex backstory, with layers upon layers of history woven into each and every piece.

Walk into any West African marketplace and you’ll see it everywhere. Vibrant patterns in indigo, amber, and crimson stretched across stalls. Women draped in bold geometric prints and floral motifs that seem to dance in the sunlight.

African wax print fabric-also called Ankara, Dutch Wax, or Hollandais-carries a backstory spanning three continents. Its history is rooted in Indonesian batik, mass-produced by Dutch colonizers, and rejected by its intended market. West African soldiers brought it home as gifts in the 19th century, and it exploded into a cultural phenomenon.

While often referred to as ‘African wax fabric’, this style of textiles actually first originated in Indonesia - or the Dutch East Indies, as it was known during European Colonial times - in the form of traditional batik fabrics. The highly decorative, ancient craft of batik printing is a form of wax resist dyeing of fabric.

The Origins of Wax Print Fabric

African wax print fabric started in Indonesia during the 1800s. The Dutch colonized the region, then called the Dutch East Indies, and became obsessed with local batik prints. The Dutch mechanized this process.

For batik, wax is melted and then patterned across the blank cloth. From there, the cloth is soaked in dye, which is prevented from covering the entire cloth by the wax. During the Dutch colonization of Indonesia, Dutch merchants and administrators became familiar with the batik technique.

The Dutch transferred batik designs onto copper rollers covered in wax, which stamped patterns onto both sides of cotton fabric. But there was a problem. The mechanized process created veining and crackling effects that Indonesians saw as flaws. Sales flopped.

Dutch Impact

Before Dutch colonisation of Indonesia, Batik was primarily made and sold in Indonesia and other parts of Asia. Seeing its worth, they began working on a machine that could duplicate the effect of Batik. They hoped their version would outsell the Indonesian Batik in the Indonesian market and after producing some resin-coated Batik fabrics, they tried to sell them in the Indonesian market.

It failed to garner the desired sales because it did not match up to the real Batik in quality or have the distinguishing wax smell that the Indonesian Batik fabrics had.

Read also: Elegant African Wedding Attire

Rise in West Africa

Around 700 soldiers from the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana) who served in Java brought the fabrics home as gifts. European manufacturers noticed the unexpected demand. By the mid-19th century, traders like Ebenezer Brown Fleming began importing these fabrics into West Africa.

According to Anne Grosfilley in her book, African Wax Print Textiles (Prestel Publishing), during the Dutch colonisation of Indonesia in the early 19th Century they began replicating the local batik fabrics using machinery: "The Dutch developed an ambitious industrial and commercial strategy to maximise profit on the Asian market..." European manufacturers noticed the popularity of these prints in Western Africa, in part due to the missionaries that were working there at the time.

From the late 19th century, West Africa became the centre of a flourishing wax business. Wax has become a part of West Africa’s cultural landscape. Men and women wear the fabric in more or less traditional designs. The different patterns and the quality of the fabrics are loaded with meaning, such as one’s social or marital status.

By 1880, Dutch and Scottish traders began introducing the fabrics to the ports in West Africa and here, they found success. Research suggests that this success might have in part, been due to the fashion taste of the “Black Dutchmen” - a group of West African Dutch soldiers called Belanda Hitam in Indonesia who served between 1831 and 1872 in the Dutch colonising army of Indonesia and later retired to Elmina, modern-day Ghana.

The Wax Print Production Process

African wax print fabric is 100% cotton cloth printed using an industrial wax-resist dyeing method. The wax application creates unique effects. During the dyeing process, the wax cracks and allows dye to seep through, creating marbling, air bubbles, and veining.

Most authentic wax prints are heavyweight and structured. The fabric has a glossy finish when new, which washes away after the first wash, leaving vibrant colors intact. Patterns are designed digitally instead of by hand.

Melted wax is applied to both sides of the cotton fabric using the etched copper rollers. The fabric is immersed in an indigo dye bath. After the first dye bath, portions of the wax are removed. The fabric is dried and additional colors are applied using stamps or blocks, one at a time. Once all colors are applied, the fabric is boiled to remove remaining wax.

Prévinaire's method for the production of imitation batik cloth proceeds as follows. A block-printing machine applies resin to both sides of the fabric. It is then submerged into the dye, in order to allow the dye to be repelled by the resin covered parts of the fabric. This process is repeated, to build up a coloured design on the fabric. Multiple wooden stamp blocks are needed for each colour within the design. Sometimes the resin on the cloth can be crinkled in order to form cracks or lines that are known as "crackles".

Names, Stories, and Meanings

African wax print goes by multiple names. “Ankara” is the most common in Nigeria. “Dutch Wax” or “Hollandais” references its European manufacturing roots.

Many wax print designs carry names, stories, and hidden meanings. “Nsu Bra” (or Nsu Bura) is one classic design featuring tiny spiral dots resembling ripples in a well after a stone drops into it. “The Happy Family” shows a chicken surrounded by chicks and eggs, representing the maternal role in African families.

Some of the fabrics were given different names based on their patterns and those names still hold till today. Two popular ones are Kri-Kri star (tiny stars) and Mkpuru Oka (corn seeds).

As Salomey Gyamfi explains to Aiwan Obinyan in her brand new documentary film Wax Print: From the Cradle to the Grave, (www.waxprintfilm.com): “The story we know, as told in the past, is that if your husband is cheating on you and you are afraid to talk to him then you’ll buy this design and wear it.

“Many of the different designs and motifs (usually the older ones) have meanings and are often named after sayings, personalities or occasions,” confirms Adaku Parker, a barrister and owner of online wax print fabric shop, Dovetailed. “Essentially, the fabric, through the designs and motifs, tells a story. Many of the designs still worn today date back to my grandmothers’ time, thereby making them classic designs.

Wax prints are a type of nonverbal communication among African women, and thereby carry their messages out into the world.[citation needed] Some wax prints are named after personalities, cities, buildings, sayings, or occasions.

Authentic vs. Imitation

Not all wax prints are created equal. Authentic wax prints use the full wax-resist process and are printed on both sides. Imitations, often called “fancy prints,” use cheaper methods and print on only one side.

Fancy Fabrics

The costly produced wax fabrics are increasingly imitated by alternative ways of manufacturing. The so-called "fancy fabrics" are produced in a printing procedure. Fancy fabrics in general are cheap, industrially produced imitations of the wax prints and are based on industry print.

Fancy fabrics are also called imiwax, Java print, roller print, le fancy or le légos. These fabrics are produced for mass consumption and stand for ephemerality and caducity. Fancy Fabrics are more intense and rich in colours than wax prints and are printed on only one side.

The production of these imitation wax-print fabrics, allow those who cannot afford the European imported wax prints to be able to purchase them.

Uses of Wax Print Fabric

In West Africa, wax prints are staples for special occasions. Weddings, birthdays, church services, and cultural ceremonies call for custom-made clothing from these fabrics.

This uniformity in dressing has also become a cultural staple amongst many tribes in Nigeria and West Africa. In many Yoruba weddings, burial ceremonies, birthday celebrations and so on, Asoebi - which is usually an Ankara print fabric, is worn to commemorate and show unity at these events.

Modern designers blend wax prints with everyday casual wear. Hoodies, bomber jackets, and t-shirts now feature Ankara panels mixed with cotton or polyester.

Beyond clothing, wax prints work well for bags, upholstery, aprons, and baby carriers. The bold colors and patterns make wax prints popular in quilting communities.

Caring for Wax Print Fabric

Flip the fabric over. Authentic wax prints display identical color intensity on both sides. Real wax prints feel heavyweight and structured. Look for the characteristic veining and crackling effects. New authentic fabric has a stiff, glossy finish from residual wax.

• Always use cold water. Machine wash at 30 degrees Celsius or hand wash with mild detergent.
• Avoid direct sunlight when drying.
• Pre-wash fabric before sewing to remove the glossy finish.
• Once washed, iron on medium heat.
• Store in a cool, dry place away from direct light.

Sewing Tips

Wax print is thicker than standard cotton. Pins leave permanent holes in wax fabric.

Unlike other fabrics, wax print’s bold patterns often override grain considerations.

Wax residue can build up.

Because each cut creates a unique section of the repeating pattern, no two garments look identical.

Wax Print Today

Till date, the highest grade of wax prints (Vlisco) being sold in Africa is of Dutch origin. The popular and affordable Hi-target is of Chinese origin. There are a few African brands such as DaViva in Nigeria and Sotiba Simpafric in Dakar, Senegal that sell quality fabrics.

Empire Textiles has a wide variety of these prints, along with a wide range of other fabrics such as voile and lace.

As wax becomes mainstreamed in fashion, a lot more people of African descent feel at ease wearing it in Western contexts. Not only the diaspora brings wax designs to Europe. In Senegal, the Toubabs (or ‘white people’) are big fans of the bright colours and patterns that wax offers.

An increasing number of Western designers use wax as well.

The continuous migration of wax designs has layered the fabric with meaning and symbolism over the last 150 years. It goes to show how intricately the colonial legacy links people.

The feature documentary, Wax Print, by Aiwan Obinyan takes a detailed look at the fabric’s history, telling "the story of how one fabric came to symbolise a whole continent.” A must-watch for any fabric fan.

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