Ankara Fabric Wrapped Bangle Bracelets

Ankara Wrapped Bracelets

Upcycled Scrap Fabric 

I threw some frayed denim in there!

Vogue 9247 and Self-Drafted Gathered Skirt

Vogue 9247 Jacket & Gathered Skirt

Pattern: Vogue 9247 View E

Fabric: Angelina/Dashiki Wax

Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Changes to Pattern: Did not add fringe to the bottom.  

                        Added pockets to the jacket. 

Dashiki Top DIY

I made my cousin a Dashiki top for her Birthday.  She'll be taking pics in it later.

Her son will wear the same.............I watched a YouTube video and it was pretty easy to follow and make!!!

Front

Back

DIY Dashiki Top Tutorial Here: DIY Dashiki Top/Jersey

Read my previous post on the history of the Dashiki Here: Dashiki Fabric All the Rage

Dashiki Fabric-All the Rage!

Dashiki Fabric(s) 101

A Dashiki is a loose fitting, brightly colored garment associated with African culture. It is also associated with the counterculture of the 1960s in the United States. The most popular styles cover the top half of the body. It originated in West Africa. A common form is a loose-fitting pullover garment, with an ornate V-shaped collar. It often has an embroidered neck and sleeve lines. There are both casual and formal versions.

LadySmith Black Mambazo 

Listen Here: Rain Rain Beautiful Rain by LSBM

In the United States, the Dashiki became popular during the 1960’s as African-Americans were embracing their African heritage and promoting Black pride. As a unisex garment, both men and women wear the Dashiki during Black History Month, Kwanzaa, and other Afrocentric cultural events. In recent years, the Angelina print has become part of essential street wear attire, thanks to celebrities being captured rocking the lovely print.

   Eldridge Cleaver of the Black Panther Party (1960s) and Malcolm X wearing Dashikis

Like the Nsu Bura print, the iconic Dashiki print was created by a Vlisco textile designer. Toon van de Manakker based the design of the print on the 19th century Ethiopian noblewoman’s tunic. The print is widely worn in West Africa, in countries like Nigeria, Togo, Benin and Ghana. The word “danshiki” means “shirt” in Yoruba, a major language spoken in Nigeria by the Kwa people. 

The Dashiki has come to be commonly known as the Angelina print. When the print's popularity peeked in the 1970s, the highlife song “Angelina” by Ghanaian artists Sweet Talks & A.B. Crentsil frequently played on the radio.

Celebs in Dashikis: Amandla Stenberg, Chris Brown, Zendaya, Rihanna, 

Jhené Aiko and Beyoncé.

African Print Ankara & Kente-The History

A Little Bit of History

You may have heard them referred to as ‘African wax prints’ or ‘tribal’, but what you may not know is that the fabrics are usually neither made in Africa nor designed by Africans. They are actually European-made textiles certain African countries have embraced and made their own.  

Read the Full Story Here

Wax Print African Fabrics

Non-African Fashion Designers Use African Prints in Their Designs

Cultural Appropriation?

African inspired fashion is the new rave in the fashion industry, again. This trend infiltrated the mainstream in 2010 and has received a significant presence in the runway at fashion shows all over the world! While Western and other non-African Fashion designers have incorporated African elements in their designs, this trend is identified by the use of African print fabrics, such as Ankara, Kente, and the embodiment of African themes in designer creations.

The Originator(s)! 

Cultural Appropriation?