This pictorial survey of African fabric prints includes contemporary bold two- and three-color designs, stripes, grids, and geometrics arranged with a focus on design, color, and pattern. Shown are commercially-made adaptations of traditional African designs in cotton, rayon, wool, synthetics, metallics and surface embellishment. The photographs are lively references and inspiration to artists and designers of fashion and fabrics.
Black-and-white linocut prints of geometric and abstract motifs, textual patterns, masks, and mythical figures provide a pictorial presentation of African designs
A pictorial survey of printed fabrics - includes abstract and geometric, floral and animal prints. There is a companion volume entitled "African Fabric Design."
All the techniques, step-by-step instructions, and patterns you need to make 25 African wax print garments and accessories. INCLUDES FULL SIZE PATTERNS FOR US DRESS SIZES 4 TO 22 African wax prints are colorful designs created by dyeing cotton fabric using wax-resist techniques, and then overprinting. The result is a fabric that is bright, colorful, and super-easy to use. Adaku Parker has developed 25 step-by-step projects to make a wide range of stylish pieces with this fabric. There are instant wardrobe classics like a shirt dress, A-line skirts, and culottes, as well as wonderful accessories such as tote bags, a zip purse, and a headband. The basic techniques you will need are all explained, so you’ll feel confident with essentials like attaching waistbands, gathering, pleats, making buttonholes, and adding linings. There are projects suitable for all skill levels so all you need is some gorgeous African wax print fabric and a sewing machine, and you’ll be on your way to updating your wardrobe with unique pieces that will help you stand out from the crowd.
African Textiles Today illustrates how African history is read, told, and recorded in cloth. All artifacts or works of art hold within them stories that range far beyond the time of their creation or the lifetime of their creator, and African textiles are patterned with these hidden histories. In Africa, cloth may be used to memorialize or commemorate something - an event, a person, a political cause - which in other parts of the world might be written down in detail or recorded by a plaque or monument. History in Africa can be read, told, and recorded in cloth. Making and trading numerous types of cloth have been vital elements in African life and culture for at least two millennia, linking different parts of the continent with each other and the rest of the world. Africa's long engagement with the peoples of the Mediterranean and the islands of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans provides a story of change and continuity. African Textiles Today shows how ideas, techniques, materials, and markets have adapted and flourished, and how the dynamic traditions in African textiles have provided inspiration for the continent's foremost contemporary artists and photographers. With a concluding chapter discussing the impact of African designs across the world, the book offers a fascinating insight into the living history of Africa.
Reveals the complex origins of African wax print textiles and traces the process of printing and dying the fabric, involving wax or indigo, to its West Indian roots. Also explores the differences of mass-produced and artisanally sourced fabrics, tracking where textiles go from the manufacturing centers to markets and cities throughout Africa and the world
Africa in Fashion explores the kaleidoscope of craft cultures that have shaped African fashion for centuries and captures the intriguing stories of contemporary and avant-garde African brands. Part One looks at Africa's rich cultural heritage and place in the network of global fashion. The first chapter retells the history of African fashion, exploring Africa's textile traditions, artisanship and role as a global resource. The second chapter presents a New Africa and examines the promise and potential of Africa's markets, while challenging stereotypes and the concept of European hegemony particularly in the realm of luxury fashion. It also spotlights Africa's unique position as the global industry shifts towards a more sustainable future. Part Two ushers the reader into the spectacular world of African fashion today. It showcases a carefully curated set of the continent's most dynamic brands and, through interviews with prominent and inspiring designers, offers rare insight into their ethos and design practice. Covering unisex fashion, menswear, womenswear, accessories and jewellery the brands are each purposefully selected to contribute uniquely to the mosaic of Africa evolving creative landscape.
