African attire boasts a rich and diverse history that reflects the continent's cultural, social, and environmental influences. Clothing in Africa has always been more than just a means of covering the body; it serves as a powerful expression of identity, status, heritage, and creativity.
Fashion has always been a global language; a true medium by which Africa’s diversity chooses to speak to the world. The cradle of humanity lies in the hands of Mother Africa, little wonder, Africa is the root of world’s civilization. A fascinating mosaic of ecosystems that make up a diverse cultural landscape. However, contrary to infamous beliefs, some of the world’s greatest empires originated from Africa, and it’s not a surprise that Africa’s colorful world of fashion coincides with that fact.
In Africa, every textile is representative of the individuality of a place in a way of its uniqueness. Many groups grew to become communities in Southern Africa. In that light, due to lack of historical evidence, it is rather difficult to backdate the evolution of African clothing.
African clothing and fashion is a diverse topic that provides a look into different African cultures. Clothing varies from brightly colored textiles, to abstractly embroidered robes, to colorful beaded bracelets and necklaces.
Since Africa is such a large and diverse continent, traditional clothing differs throughout each country. For example, many countries in West Africa have a "distinct regional dress styles that are the products of long-standing textile crafts in weaving, dyeing, and printing", but these traditions are still able to coexist with western styles.
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A large contrast in African fashion is between rural and urban societies. In Northeastern Africa, particularly in Egypt, styles of traditional women's clothing have been influenced by Middle Eastern cultures; this can be exemplified by the simply embroidered jelabiya which are similarly worn in Arab states of the Persian Gulf.
In Sahelian Africa, the dashiki, Senegalese kaftan, and the grand boubou made from Bazin material are worn more prominently, though not exclusively (the Bògòlanfini, for instance, is worn in Mali). The dashiki is highly stylized and is rendered with an ornate V-shaped collar. The djellaba (worn in Northwest Africa) shares similar properties with the boubou, the dashiki, and the Senegalese kaftan. In East Africa, the kanzu is the traditional dress worn by Swahili-speaking men. In Southern Africa, distinctive shirts are worn, like the long dresses they wear. In the Horn of Africa, the attire varies by country.
In Ethiopia, men wear the Ethiopian suit and women wear the habesha kemis. In Somalia, men wear the khamis with a small cap called a koofiyad.
European influence is commonly found in African fashion as well. For example, Ugandan men have started to wear "full length trousers and long-sleeved shirts". On the other hand, women have started to adapt influences from "19th-century Victorian dress". These styles include: "long sleeves and puffed shoulders, a full skirt, and commonly a colorful bow tied around the waist". This style of dress is called a busuti.
Traditional African clothing is often worn during important life events such as weddings, funerals, and initiations. The attire may differ depending on the event's significance and the community's customs.
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Presently, Contemporary African clothing often blends tradition with modernity, allowing individuals to express both their cultural heritage and personal style. From casual wear to haute couture, African fashion showcases the continent's creativity and resilience.
The history of African attire is a testament to the continent's rich heritage and adaptability. Each garment tells a story-of ancestors, struggles, celebrations, and triumphs. Today, African fashion is celebrated not only for its beauty and innovation but also for its deep connection to history and identity.
Let's delve into some specific examples of traditional African clothing:
Traditional African Attire
Mali Empire: Bogolanfini or Mud Cloth
The Mali wore handprinted cloths called Bogolanfini or mud cloth. Each cloth had an arrangement of symbols, revealing something secret about its intended meaning. The language of the cloth trickles down from mother to daughter along with specific motifs.
- Bogo means “earth” or “mud”
- Lan means “with”
- Fini means “cloth”
At that time, Mali was the largest empire in West Africa and strongly influenced the culture of the region through its language, laws, and customs. However, the Mali empire became large and powerful following the fall of the Ghanaian people in 11 C.E. by 1200 C.E.
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Bark Cloth: The Spirit Of The Trees
In 15th century, barkcloth was being crafted by the Baganda people of Southern Uganda in Uganda. Barkcloth was one of the first fabrics made by mankind; using an ancient technique that predates the invention of weaving.
Being a versatile fabric, the cloth was used to produce loincloth, skirts, draperies, wall hangings, and beddings. Barkcloth is primarily harvested from the locally grown Mutaba tree without bringing harm to the tree. In Uganda, the long history of producing barkcloth provides a great pre-historic way of utilizing our environment’s renewable resources.
Barkcloth production in Uganda
In 2005, UNESCO declared barkcloth production to be a masterpiece of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Adire Cloth: The Original Tie & Dye
Adire textile is a resist-dyed cloth from the Yoruba people of southwest Nigeria. Adire translates as tie and dye in Yoruba language; the technique was initially applied to indigo-dyed cloth decorated with resist-patterns.
Although scholars opine that the origin of Adire is unknown, but its production history can be traced back to the 12th century. The particular ethical/regional norms of the Adire cloth were characterized by special weaving techniques. Motifs of Adire are taught by mothers to daughters within the dyeing families from generation to generation.
However, there has been a revival of the Adire art by Nigerian designers, like Duro Olowu and Maki-Oh. By 20th century, local tastes began to have preference towards the Kampala technique; a multi-colored wax-resist cloth, and which consequently brought a decline to Adire’s popularity.
African Adire Fabric Textile: History, Craftsmanship, and Flourishing Futures"
The Grand Boubou
The Boubou, popularly called the African kaftan, was worn by the people of Takur and Ghana Empires during the 8th century and the Mali and Songhai Empires in 13th century. The clothing gained prominence across the West African region with the migration of the semi-nomadic groups.
The kaftan is usually worn with a matching head wrap, called Gele. The kaftan can be made of wool, cashmere, silk, or cotton. The Boubou consists of three pieces:
- Long-sleeve shirt
- A pair of tie-up trousers that narrows at the ankle
- Open-stitched overflowing wide sleeveless gown worn over the two
Adinkra and Kente cloth: Royal wear from Ghana
The Ashanti Empire was a pre-colonial African state that emerged in the 17th century. The Ashanti are renowned for two types of cloth: printed Adinkra and woven Kente. The visual presentations on the fabrics depict various political messages communicated by symbols, colors, and how it is being worn.
Adinkra
This means farewell, and it is worn during funeral ceremonies. Black designs were imprinted onto black or russet colored fabric with particular colors used for mourning:
- Brown: Kuntukuni
- Red: Kobene
- Black: Brisi
Adinkra was originally made from cassava tubers, but now made out of calabash rinds. The cloth that formerly serves as the exclusive property of the King or Asantehene, is now worn by all with different fashion styles.
Kente
This cloth was worn on ceremonial or festive occasions during the mid-19th century. Kente is composed of narrow strips of hand weaved material sewn together to form a rectangle.
Kente cloth was a way to identify a person’s origin and status back then. The colorful motifs are named and communicate messages:
- Gold: wealth
- Yellow: vitality
- Green: renewal
Here is a table summarizing the key aspects of Adinkra and Kente cloth:
| Cloth Type | Origin | Use | Materials | Symbolism |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adinkra | Ashanti Empire (Ghana) | Funerals | Cassava tubers or calabash rinds | Farewell, mourning |
| Kente | Ashanti Empire (Ghana) | Ceremonial, festive occasions | Hand-weaved narrow strips | Wealth, vitality, renewal |
Ankara: The Controversial Textile
Ankara, also known as the “Real Dutch Wax”, originates from the European replication of batiks from Far East at the early 19th century. Batiks are a printed fabric with designs at both sides of the cloth.
It has been theorized that West African men conscripted to the Dutch army bought batik fabrics home. European companies like Vlisco, HKM, and ABC Wax began to tailor their designs to satiate African tastes and demands that included colorful cloths and motifs.
Nonetheless, the question of Ankara fabrics’ African authenticity is debatable.
The Dashiki
In 1967, Jason Benning coined the term Dashiki. The term originates from the combination of Yoruba language word “danski” and the Hausa language phrase “dan aki”, both translating to shirt. Benning began the mass production of the Dashiki style shirt from Harlem, United States under the trademark, New Breeding Clothing Limited.
Dashiki
Benning with his team created an afro-centric aesthetic of Black Power Movement.
Regional Variations in African Attire
Traditional clothing differs throughout each country, reflecting the continent's vast cultural diversity.
- West Africa: Distinct regional dress styles are the products of long-standing textile crafts in weaving, dyeing, and printing.
- Northeastern Africa: Styles of traditional women's clothing have been influenced by Middle Eastern cultures, exemplified by the simply embroidered jelabiya.
- Sahelian Africa: The dashiki, Senegalese kaftan, and grand boubou made from Bazin material are prominently worn.
- East Africa: The kanzu is the traditional dress worn by Swahili-speaking men.
- Horn of Africa: In Ethiopia, men wear the Ethiopian suit, and women wear the habesha kemis. In Somalia, men wear the khamis with a small cap called a koofiyad.
The Impact of Colonization
However, with the arrival of Europeans and the colonization of Africa in the 19th and early 20th centuries, African attire underwent significant changes. European missionaries and colonial powers often imposed Western dress codes, influencing African fashion in many ways. Many Africans were forced to adopt European-style clothing, which sometimes led to the decline of traditional attire.
Colonization starting from the mid seventeenth century undoubtedly changed South Africa in all aspects, and fashion together all those changes was influenced heavily by the arrival of new materials from Europe as well as the Eurocentric view about the body and clothing, perceiving that South Africans dressed like necked imposed changes on traditional fashion of these indigenous groups of people. Traditional clothing made with local materials were incorporated with new style and items from Europe.
In the early nineteenth century, glass beads and plastic beads from Europe added new materials to the traditional collection of materials that South African indigenous people used to make beadworks. Around the late nineteenth century, Isishweshwe fabric was introduced to South Africa through importation from England and Germany. The cloth was made with indigo dye and later, with a synthetic form of indigo dye with a range of colors ranging from blue and red to maroon and brown, associated with decorations from replicated and orderly organized geometric patterns.
African Adire Fabric Textile: History, Craftsmanship, and Flourishing Futures"
Isishweshwe slowly blended itself to the fashion world of South African people, appearing on clothing of working-class people, rural women and male soldiers. Though popular, because it was imported from other countries, it was not recognized as unique to African fashion until 1982 when a South African company, Da Gama Textiles, began producing the cloths helping make it be considered a representative fabric of South Africa.
With the influence of colonizers, Western fashion came to rule over South Africa with educated class people preferring Edwardian top coats and hats. Working men also went with Western style that boost the demand for these products. During this era of classifying people by their ethnicities and races, unique dress of each South African indigenous community served to make that community distinct.
However, besides that, wearing traditional dress also acted as a way for South African coloured people to express their resistance and displeasure with the government ruled by a minority of white people. Traditional clothes were worn by leaders such as Nelson Mandela, who put on a Xhosa traditional garment, in 1962 in his trial for attempting to overthrow the government. The expression of his identity as a true South African person spoke for the aggression in resistance and asking for one's won control of one's country.
The Resurgence of African Fashion
After the apartheid period ended in 1994, South African traditional dresses continue to be the way to express pride in one's nation and identity as well as an enormous source of inspiration for famous fashion brands such as Sun Goddess, Stoned Cherrie and Strangelove. Pieces such as head wraps and A-line skirt inspired by Xhosa people from the nineteenth century were brought back on the runway.
South African fashion is a coming together of different style, culture and response to social circumstances. It's a hybrid between African people themselves and foreigners they interacted with.
While there is a global disconnect between the western world and their interpretation of African fashion through the use of tribal patterns, many designers have risen and made an impact on the high-end fashion industry by putting a twist on their traditional African garments. New designers are now trying to expand their entrepreneurial footprint and enlighten the world on the versatility of African fashion.
More specifically Johannesburg's development in making an impact on the fashion industry has been more intentional. With the help of many designers, Johannesburg has built up a fashion district in the inner city that has made a name for itself globally. While new designers use this location as a stepping stone for their expansion, established fashion houses also play a role in the maturing of the district.
Conversion of the established and developing fashion houses has built international respect for South Africa with the fashion industry, making South Africa's Fashion Week a major destination in the worldwide fashion takeover at the beginning of each spring/summer and fall/winter season.
Little Africa: A Cultural Hub
On 116th Street, just east of Lenox Avenue, you will find one of my favorite markets - The Malcolm Shabazz Harlem outdoor marketplace, also known as Harlem’s Little Africa. Here you will find not only traditional African trinkets, but also leather bags, coats and hats, all kinds of colorful clothing, wood carvings, drums, textiles and beads beads beads. The market is made up of individual vendors from all over Africa and is open every day from 10am to 8pm.
These are only a few of the wonderful shops in Harlem. Little Africa Paris Village est un espace pluridisciplinaire qui rassemble les diasporas africaines du monde depuis Paris. C'est un lieu qui tire son inspiration et s'est construit autour de la notion de village. Il se veut une communauté, un marché, un lieu de vie, de célébrations, de guérison, d'écoute et de création.
Little Africa Paris
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