FASHION: African prints trending

A model in a bell skirt made from African print Ankara fabric. Picture: BiKé

AFRICAN PRINTS have always been a fabric of elegance close to the heart of Africans. It is a colourful fabric with a lot of tribal patterns printed on it, produced in Africa, commonly known as ‘Ankara’ prints in Nigeria, ‘Dutch wax’ in Ghana, ‘Kanga prints’ in Tanzania and other East African countries, Ikat, Batik, mud cloth and so on.

Thanks to modern twist and styles, there is wide range of uses from brides’ and bridesmaids’ dresses, ball gowns, casuals to other formal wears. The sweet thing is that they can now be used to make some other fashion accessories like, bags, earrings, bangles, shoes and many more. With the wide variety of African prints available on the market, the options are endless. They can be sewn into different styles, whether traditional or contemporary, to suit the wearers taste.

In short it is a tribal and fashion trend now with everybody tuning into it, even celebrities in and outside Africa. When looking to describe African print fashion the first word that comes to mind is “bold”. The African inspired fashion prints notoriously known as Ankara can be a bit overwhelming at first glance. However, over the last 10 years Ankara has become a seasonable fashion staple, showing up on runways and in fashion outlets year after year.

Although in the world of high fashion where anything goes, Ankara fits in just fine. However, for the average person finding ways to incorporate Ankara into their everyday wardrobe can be difficult. Those who do not want to come across too “loud” but still wear this African inspired style can do so by implementing a few tried and true fashion secrets.

We recommend combining an Ankara piece with professional neutrals for work. As well as introducing signature Ankara accessories into your regular outfits to give them an edgy look you can also draw inspiration from street fashion and online bloggers to master the art of print mixing. With a bit of clever styling Ankara can work for anyone and really give your current wardrobe a modern update. — ankcara.com