The Colors, weaves, textures, and prints of the fabrics of the African people stores a wide range of important meanings and stories. Meanings may vary between people, cultures, and fabrics. One such fabric is the Kente Cloth. This is one of my absolute favorite prints especially. I am attracted to the vibrancy of the colors and just the overall energy it gives off. Over the years I’ve come to understand that most things associated with African culture usually has really deep-rooted meanings. So I did a little research on the kente cloth. You probably wouldn’t be surprised to know Each of the colors has a symbolic meaning. I also found that the Kente cloth is native to the country of Ghana. It was mostly worn by political authorities and high-ranking officials of the Ashanti people. The cloth is of great spiritual value and as such is held in high esteem by the African people. In some parts of Africa, the Kente cloth is referred to as ‘the cloth of kings’.
Kente cloth can be easily spotted from a mile away by its extremely loud, multicolored patterns, geometric shapes, and bold designs. In the last few years, the kente cloth has become more widely used around the world as the bold and vibrant colors of the African fabrics with their unique prints find their way out of African and into my closet lol.
THE EXPERIMENT
I was given a few yards of kente cloth as a gift last year. For the longest while and honestly just had it sitting there, not knowing what to make with it. Just couldn’t think of what to make with it for it to not be overwhelming. I mean, it has pretty bright colors and if whatever garment being constructed with it is not executed properly all that boldness might be a bit much. After a few months, I was going through my fabrics and came across it again and then I got what I thought was a wild idea. I was then inspired to create what I call a ‘kente frilled dress’. How was I going to execute that with hardly any sewing experience? I don’t know! I’ll have to figure it out as I go. This fabric is pretty versatile too so it would pair well with almost any color or shade. In order to get the desired look I had in mind, I decided to create a simple white dress. Then I would stitch strips of the kente fabric together in the form of a neck piece. Then I, drape the kente strips neck piece over the white dress so I would get a nice fall and flow of the fabric.I wanted to create this long, elaborate, frilled piece something that would have been used to elevate the look. The plain white under the kente made the neck piece pop a little more. It was given the spotlight it needed to live up to its vibrancy. I’m all smiles, very pleased with the way it turned out. Take a look and let me know what you think.
Thank you guys for stopping by. Please check out my previous post. See you next post.
