When African Fashion comes to mind, what sets this authentic style of fashion apart from the rest in a globalised village where everything is everything? Is it the fabric? The artistry? Africa is a large and diverse continent with various types of cultures priding themselves in different traditional fashion. With a long-standing skill in crafts and textile weaving, dyeing, and printing, clothing was worn to communicate age, gender, occupation, ethnicity, power, religious celebration, rituals and other significant life events. African fashion dates back as far as the 18 century and is recorded in numerous texts. Currently, Africa is a powerhouse in fashion. It sets itself apart from the other players in fashion by combining modern trends with culture and Africa’s rich History.
The Ghanaian Fashion has a vibrant fiber art that weaves together tradition, culture and creativity. Since the beginning of time, over generation and time, Ghanaian fashion has undergone evolution, transcending various facets of culture and style. Ghanaian fashion can be traced as far back as precolonial time, Ghana is blessed with different and diverse culture and people, and each of these cultures have a representation through fashion.
The fashion industry in Africa is tied heavily into the culture. Big sleeves! Off the shoulder style, be it long dresses or tops, this creative yet versatile design adds more attractiveness and style to any outfit. Side slits are the best way to showcase your gorgeous legs!
In Ghana, the fashion and textile industry is growing rapidly. Accra, the Capital of Ghana, is now considered a fashion hub to many. Ghanaians are dedicated followers of fashion. In Ghanaian culture, fashion or clothing is just as important as any other facet of society. The ethnic groups, with their distinct culture across the length and breadth of the country, represents themselves uniquely in the way they dress.
Even today, those traditional looms are still being used to produce fabric like kente and Gonja cloth. Also, trade activities across the subregion allowed other West African clothing trends like the mud cloth from Burkina Faso and wax printing from Niger to influence the styles Ghanaians wore. All these indigenous traditional textiles are still used in modern-day Ghana and are greatly respected by the people. However, colonialism and Western culture also have an influence on Ghanaian dressing.
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Most Ghanaian fashion trends today tend to blend traditional styles with Western influences to produce clothing that satisfies the demands of both worlds. For example, most Ghanaian wedding ceremonies borrow the Gele, Agbada and Ankara designs used traditionally in Yoruba and Igbo wedding ceremonies. The functions of clothing go beyond looking good or protecting the wearer from nature’s elements in Ghanaian society.
Ahofade stands firmly committed to upholding and advancing the rich legacy of Ghanaian fashion.
#16 Африка. Красочные ткани и платья в Гане.
The Rich Kente (Kete)
Within the diverse cultural landscape of Ghana, the fabrics known as Kente and Kete hold a special place, each with its own unique history and significance. Kete, as referred to by the Ewes of the Volta Region, carries a captivating etymology that sheds light on the fabric's creation process. The word "Kete" derives from "ke" meaning "open or spread" and "te" meaning "tight or press." This name aptly captures the essence of weaving the cloth, where the weft is opened, "ke," and then tightly pressed, "te," as it is passed through.
On the other hand, the Akans have their own history surrounding the renowned Kente cloth. Handwoven by skilled Akans in the Ashanti, Eastern, and Brong-Ahafo regions. The name "Kente" itself is derived from the term "Kenten," which means basket. As the Akan history has it. This name pays homage to the intricate weaving techniques employed to craft the cloth, resembling the interlacing patterns found in traditional baskets. While there are differing accounts, what remains undisputed is the rich cultural heritage that Kente carries, spanning precolonial times.
Despite the varying historical perspectives, both Kente and Kete fabrics have become integral parts of Ghana's textile heritage. Whether it is the Akans' Kente or the Ewes' Kete, these fabrics hold a special place in Ghanaian society, worn proudly during important cultural ceremonies and celebrations. In the tapestry of Ghana's cultural heritage, the threads of Kente and Kete intertwine, representing not only the art of weaving but also the stories, traditions, and pride of the nation.
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According to a famous legend, Kente textiles originated from a spider’s web. Two men discovered a beautiful web with a layered blueprint design that shone in the starlight. The spider, Ananse, taught them how to weave these intricate designs in exchange for favors. After completing their tasks and mastering the art of weaving with a single thread, the men returned to Bonwire, a town in the Asante region of Ghana, known as the birthplace of Kente craftsmanship. They shared their discovery with Asantehene Osei Tutu, the first ruler of the Asante kingdom. The Asantehene adopted their creation, Kente, designating it as a royal fabric for special ceremonies.
Kente cloth originates from weaving traditions dating back to the 11th century. By the late 1500s, the powerful Asante empire began incorporating colourful silk fabrics brought by traders from Italy, India, and North Africa. By the early 1700s, the Asante unravelled these imported fabrics, reweaving the silk threads into elaborate textiles for the royal court.
Kente Cloth
The history of Kente is deeply intertwined with West African weaving traditions, evolving through extensive trade networks. Once under Asante rule, the Ewe people adopted Kente weaving, adding their unique interpretations.
“The populace who could afford a weaver would only have one dedicated craftsman. The wealthier Ewe and Ashanti tribes had many Kente weavers who could command any price they liked due to their intricate skill,” explains Ian. Unlike the centralised Asante, Ewe Kente was more widely used and associated with prestige and special occasions, but not limited to royalty. Ewe Kente cloth featured a broader range of patterns and meanings, often reflecting everyday life rather than social hierarchy.
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"What is so special about the artisanal practice behind Kente cloth is that no two are the same," asserts Ian. Each colour in Kente carries ritual significance, woven on narrow vertical strips typically four inches wide. These strips are sewn together to form larger pieces, allowing the patterned blocks to create a unified meaning. The threads in Kente tell an individual’s story, like a physical life map. Floating motifs such as 'the hand of friendship' and 'Guinea Fowl' indicate the owner's high-ranking status.
Historically, all hand-spun cotton used for Kente was dyed with natural dyes until the 1940s. Weaver might know hundreds of patterns by heart, each named for proverbs, chiefs, queen mothers, or historical events.
Historically, Kente for royal courts was made of silk, but today, it can be found in cotton and rayon blends as reproductions. However, online auctions and specialist antique dealers “are significant assets in this field when sourcing this specific textile.”
Today, Kente textiles not only inspire decor and fashion but also ignite creativity. Last year, designer Aristide Loua debuted at Lagos Fashion Week, showcasing his wearable artworks from his ready-wear-brand Kente Gentlemen. At the same time, the Victoria & Albert Museum curated an exhibition dedicated to wearable African fashion with a spotlight on Kente. Within decor, the late Ghanaian artist Atta Kwami's published home showcased Kente cloth as textile wall art, throws, and bedspreads. “Many of my clients are finding innovative ways to showcase Kente in the home. Often, it is the piece that stands out, with its layers both physically shown through colour and metaphorically woven, Kente remains vibrantly unique.”
The British Museum holds one of two ‘Royal Asante Kente cloths’ crafted by weaver Kwasi Amwah in 1935.
In September 2025, Ghana gained GI status for the Kente. Under the GI status, only kente cloths woven using traditional techniques and in approved Ghanaian communities are allowed to use the name, as the law protects Kente as Ghana's intellectual property. Bonwire, Agotime Kpetoe, and Sakora Wonoo are the towns where Kente is traditionally woven and approved by the Ghana Ministry of Tourism. Only kente crafted in the selected communities may lawfully be sold as kente thanks to the new GI law.
Modern loom for weaving kente
Kente is a Ghanaian textile, officially recognised as a geographical indication (GI) of Ghana to safeguard its authenticity and origin.[1] It is made of hand-woven strips of silk and cotton.[2] Historically, the fabric was worn in a toga-like fashion among the Asante, Akan and Ewe people. According to Asante oral tradition, it originated from Bonwire in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
Due to the popularity of kente[3] cloth patterns, mass-produced prints with the kente patterns have become widespread throughout West Africa, and by extension the whole of Africa. Globally, the print is used in the design of academic stoles in graduation ceremonies, worn mostly by African American as well as the African Diaspora.
Kente comes from the word kɛntɛn, which means "basket" in the Asante dialect of the Akan language, referencing its basket-like pattern. In Ghana, the Akan ethnic group also refers to kente as nwentoma, meaning "woven cloth". Asante oral tradition give the origins of Kente to an individual from Bonwire who introduced a loom among the Asante from Bono Gyaman during the reign of Nana Oti Akenten in the 17th century.[6] Another oral source states that it was developed indigenously by individuals from Bonwire during the reign of Osei Kofi Tutu I, who were inspired by the web designs of a spider.[8][9] It is plausible that early Asante weaving took influence from the Gyaman region, although likely in times previous to when oral traditions relate, these early cloths of blue and white cotton stripes bear striking resemblance to Bondoukou cloths and some others in West Africa.
In the 18th century, Asantehene Opoku Ware I was documented by Danish agents Nog and L.F. Rømer, to have encouraged expansion in craft work. The Asantehene set up a factory during his reign to innovate weaving in the Ashanti Empire.[8][12] This was the early stages of Kente production. Some of his subjects were able to spin cotton, and they wove bands of it, three fingers wide. When twelve long strips were sewn together it became a "Pantjes" or sash. One strip might be white, the other one blue or sometimes there was a red among them...[Asantehene] Opoke [Ware] bought silk taffeta and materials of all colours.
According to oral tradition, Ewe weaving goes back to the 16th century when weavers were among the migrants who resettled in Ghana from Benin Republic and Western Nigeria. In the 18th century Keta became the centre of weaving among Ewe migrants who had settled in Southern Ghana. The earliest description of weaving among the southern ewe was from a report in 1718 by a Dutch West India Company official during his visit to Keta.
Weaving is done on a wooden loom in which multiple threads of dyed fabric are pressed together. Weavers are typically apprenticed under a master weaver or company for a number of years before producing their own patterns. Gender has an influence on cloth production. There exist hundreds of different kinds of kente patterns.[17] Kente patterns vary in complexity, with each pattern having a name or message by the weaver. Ghanaians choose kente cloths as much for their names as their colors and patterns. Although the cloths are identified primarily by the patterns found in the lengthwise (warp) threads, there is often little correlation between appearance and name. Names are derived from several sources, including proverbs, historical events, important chiefs, queen mothers, and plants. The cloth symbolizes high value.
Ahwepan refers to a simple design of warp stripes, created using plain weave and a single pair of heddles. The designs and motifs in kente cloth are traditionally abstract, but some weavers also include words, numbers and symbols in their work.[4] Example messages include adweneasa, which translates as 'I've exhausted my skills', is a highly decorated type of kente with weft-based patterns woven into every available block of plain weave.
Today, there is a still a wide use of Kente cloth in events such as ceremonies and commencements. Many universities, such as Florida A&M University, wear an Academic stole. This historically black institution incorporates historically accurate African art through the use of Kente cloth stoles. Traditionally, wearing a Kente cloth stole was a "college ritual of marking oneself with a visible sign of Africa"[21] and "literally weaves ... wisdom of Africa"[21] and incorporates the history and culture of African art.
In June 2020, Democratic Party leaders kneeled in the United States Capitol Visitor Center for 8 minutes and 42 seconds in protest, causing controversy by wearing stoles made of kente cloth to show support against systemic racism.[22] While it was said to be an act of unity with African-Americans, many, including Jade Bentil, a Ghanaian-Nigerian researcher, voiced objection tweeting "My ancestors did not invent Kente cloth for them to be worn by publicity (obsessed) politicians as 'activism' in 2020". There is also a controversy with Louis Vuitton's usage of a printed and monogrammed version of kente in their autumn-winter 2021 collection by American creative director Virgil Abloh, whose grandmother was Ghanaian. Additionally, questions of ownership of the woven craft, its image, and location of ateliers of production of kente.
To this question of cultural appropriation, Abloh's response to the press in 2020 was: "Provenance is reality; ownership is a myth.
The Gonja Fabric
In the realm of traditional Ghanaian clothing, where Kente and Kete often take the spotlight, there is a fabric known as Gonja cloth that holds a special place in the fashion heritage of Northern Ghana. The production of Gonja cloth involves a meticulous process carried out by skilled artisans. Handpicked cotton is carefully dyed and woven by hand, resulting in long, narrow strips of fabric measuring about four inches wide. Typically, the pattern adorning this cloth features blue/black and white stripes, creating a visually striking aesthetic.
While the smock is predominantly worn by men, there are also versions tailored for women. The history of the smock in Northern Ghana is deeply rooted in cultural exchange and trade. While various ethnic groups, including the Moshie, Kokomba, Dagomba, Mamprusi, Lobi, and Gonja, are involved in its production, the art itself was not originally exclusive to the region. According to Northern tradition, the introduction of smock fabric can be traced back to the Moshie people, who acquired it through trade with Ouagadougou in what is now Burkina Faso.
Key weaving areas for the smock include Bolgatanga, Daboya, Tamale, Gushegu, Kpatinga, Yendi, Bawku, and Navrongo. The Gonja cloth and the smock it creates are not just garments; they represent an enduring cultural tradition that has been passed down through generations. These textiles play a crucial role in preserving, presenting, and promoting the vibrant culture of Northern Ghana.
Ghanaian Smock
The Ghanaian Smock or Tani is a fabric worn by both women and men in Ghana.[1] It is the most popular traditional attire in the country. The fabric is called Tani in Dagbani, while the male and female wear are respectively called Bin'gmaa and Bin'mangli. The smock is also called Bun-nwↃ or Bana by Mamprusis, fugu in Mossi, batakari in the Asante dialect, dansika in Frafra, and Banaa in Kusaal both in the upper east region.[5] It is worn by Royals and civilians across Dagbon and other northern regions, but popular across Ghana.
The smock originated in the northern region of Ghana, during the reign of Yaa Naa Zanjina, but widely used in West Africa and across the world. The smock and Kente cloth are the national dress of Ghana. The smock is traditionally made from hand-loomed strips comprising a blend of dyed and undyed cotton yarns. Historically, the smock was rarely seen in the West. As recently as the 1990s, immigrants from Ghana were the only individuals seen wearing the smock.
All of that changed as the popularity of films produced in Ghana increased among Black Americans and Caribbeans.
Other Influences
Adorning with Adinkra
Another significant aspect of Ghanaian fashion from precolonial times is the use of Adinkra symbols. These intricate patterns, traditionally worn by the Akan people, are stamped onto fabric using carved calabash stamps. A typical precolonial Adinkra fabric.
Influence of Colonial Era
The arrival of European colonizers in Ghana brought new fabrics and styles that merged with traditional attire. Wax prints, also known as "African prints" or "Ankara," gained popularity.
The Ankara Fabrics
My thinking was we got the fabrics from Ghana and so they were Ghanaian. It never occurred to me that this might not necessarily be the case, and the fabrics that I had thoughtlessly labeled as, “Ghana Stuff,” were actually the products of an interwoven (no pun intended) history of the West African, Asian, and Dutch textile manufacturing industries. In the post, Yoruba outlines how she came to learn about the colonial and post-colonial histories as well as the European origins of these supposedly “African print fabrics,” which she eventually would learn are actually called Dutch wax prints.
West Africa, has had and continues to have a vital role in the development and growth of the Dutch batik print industry, (in fact the survival of the industry was the result of Dutch manufacturers recognizing the demand for such fabrics in West Africa and redesigning their prints to suit the taste of their customer base), and thus the question of whether or not these prints should be viewed as “authentically” African becomes a complicated one to answer. By focusing on textiles, Yoruba problematizes the notion of cultural “authenticity,” and for me, hammers home the extent to which “authenticity” can be, ironically, rooted in wholly constructed ideas about a region and the cultures of people who inhabit it.
Sure, the Dutch wax fabrics that many West African prints are printed on, are (mostly) not being produced in the region, but as the market for these types of fabrics has grown and continues to grow, the textiles, as a result, are constantly being assimilated into various local cultures. My mother comes from a family of former small time Ghanaian clothing manufacturers and designers, who had often imported European fabrics to produce clothes designed specifically for the West African market. Though her family did not use Dutch wax print fabrics in either their clothes or as part of their designs, she grew up with both a fondness and appreciation for these prints and how and why they were worn.
So much so that she would often use them to make clothing while she worked as a seamstress part-time to make extra money when she first arrived to Canada. When I discussed with her the issue of authenticity brought up by the post, she outlined a (perhaps somewhat nostalgic) history of collaboration between European Dutch wax fabric manufacturers and their West African customer bases. She argued that while the cloth itself isn’t originally African, many local motifs and patterns are integrated into the designs of the prints, plus many major Dutch wax fabric manufacruers, as Yoruba also points out, like Woodin (a subsidiary of Holland’s Vlisco) are based in West Africa, primarily Ghana.
But, by looking into what we consider authentic or inauthentic and what informs these ideas through textiles, Yoruba has found another way for us to potentially understand how we construct aspects of our racial and/or ethnic identities. For me, it would be difficult, bordering on near impossible to mentally disassociate Dutch wax prints from West Africa in general, but more precisely Ghana, despite their European roots. This is mostly because my understanding (or lack thereof) of these printed textiles were shaped and informed by the way I came to understand and see myself as a Ghanaian-Canadian.
Here the lady seated at front right wears a cloth woven by a male Ewe weaver in what today is the eastern Volta region of Ghana.
Emergence of Contemporary Ghanaian Fashion
In the early 2000s till date the Ghanaian fashion experienced a remarkable resurgence. Talented designers and entrepreneurs have emerged over the period, blending traditional elements with modern silhouettes. Their captivating collections celebrate Ghana's cultural heritage while making a mark on the global fashion stage.
Promoting Sustainable Fashion
Ghanaian fashion goes beyond aesthetics by embracing sustainability and ethical practices. The traditional textile industry, such as the handweaving of Kente and the production of Batik fabrics, reflects eco-friendly principles. Additionally, there is a growing movement towards using locally sourced materials and promoting fair trade practices. These initiatives empower local artisans, preserve traditional craftsmanship, and contribute to a more sustainable fashion industry.
Rich Ghanaian Fashion Heritage
Ghanaian fashion embraces the country's diversity. Each region within Ghana showcases its distinctive fashion customs, highlighting the unique nuances of different ethnic groups. Ghanaian fashion is a captivating blend of tradition and innovation, preserving cultural heritage while embracing contemporary creativity. From the ancient artistry of Kente to the modern designs gracing international runways, Ghanaian fashion weaves a narrative of resilience, pride, and enduring spirit.
| Fabric | Origin | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kente | Ashanti Region | Hand-woven silk and cotton fabric with intricate patterns |
| Gonja Cloth | Northern Ghana | Hand-woven cotton fabric with blue/black and white stripes |
| Ankara | Dutch origin, popular in West Africa | Wax-printed cotton fabric with vibrant patterns |
