African waxprints

African waxprints, West Africa

Waxprints sold in a shop in West Africa

African waxprints or African wax prints are omnipresent and common materials for clothing in Africa, especially West Africa. They are industrially produced, colorful cotton cloths with batik printing.^[1] One feature of these materials is the lack of difference in the color intensity of front and back side. The wax fabric can be sorted into categories of quality due to the processes of manufacturing.

Normally, the fabrics are sold in 12 yards as "full piece" or 6 yards as "half piece". The colors comply with the local preferences of the costumers. Mainly clothing for celebrations is made out of these.

The wax prints are part of a nonverbal way of communication among African women, and hereby they carry their message out into the world. Some wax prints can be named after personalities, cities, building, sayings or occasions. The producer, name of the product and registration number of the design is printed on the selvage, protecting the design and allowing reading the quality of the fabric. The wax fabrics constitute capital goods for the African women. Therefore they are collected depending on the financial possibilities.

The design of the wax print fabrics already has an influence on the international world of fashion and lifestyle. They are an inspirational source for designers and companies.

Brands

A few brands dominate the West African market:

• Super, made in China by Huzhou Wanguo Imp & Exp Co.,Ltd.
• ABC Wax (also known as London Wax), made by Akosombo Textiles Limited in Ghana
• Vlisco Wax (also known as Dutch Wax), made in the Netherlands
• Hitarget Wax, made in China
• Woodin, made in Benin, and Ivory Coast

Batik

The Javanese word batik designates a technology of coloring with spares where the coloring happens with an ink repellent liquid or paste like wax, resin or starch. The spare material is applied, drawn or stamped on the fabric protecting these parts of the fabric (pattern) in the color bath and creating a light pattern after removal.

Fancy

The costly produced wax fabrics are increasingly imitated by alternative ways of manufacturing. The so-called "fancy fabrics" are produced in a printing procedure. Costly designs are printed digitally.

Fancy fabrics in general are cheap, industrially produced imitations of the wax prints and are based on industry print. Fancy fabrics are also called imiwax, Java print, roller print, le fancy or le légos. These fabrics are produced for mass consumption and stand for ephemerality and caducity. Fancy Fabrics are more intense and rich in colors than wax prints and are printed on only one side.

As for wax prints, producer, product name and registration number of the design are printed on the selvage. Even the fancy fabrics vary with a certain fashion. The fabrics are limited to amount and design and are sometimes exclusively sold in own shops.

See also

• Wrapper (clothing)
• Shweshwe
• Kitenge

References

Literature

• Gerlich, G.: „Waxprints im soziokulturellen Kontext Ghanas“. Arbeitspapier Nr. 54. Institut für Ethnologie und Afrikastudien. Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, 2004
• Gillow, J.: African textiles. Colour and creativity across a continent. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2003
• Joseph, M. L.: Introductory Textile Science. 2. Aufl. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1972
• Luttmann, I. : „Die Produktion von Mode: Stile und Bedeutungen.“ In: Ilsemargret Luttmann (Hrsg.): Mode in Afrika. Mode als Mittel der Selbstinszenierung und Ausdruck der Moderne. Museum für Völkerkunde Hamburg, 2005, pages 33–42.
• Picton, J.: “Technology, tradition and lurex: The art of textiles in Africa.” In: John Picton (Hrsg.): The art of African textiles. Technology, tradition and lurex. London: Lund Humphries Publishers, 1995, page 9-32; 132.
• Rabine, L. W.): The global circulation of African fashion. Oxford: Berg, 2002
• Schaedler, K. F.: Afrikanische Kunst. Von der Frühzeit bis heute. München: Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, 1997
• Sarlay A., Jurkowitsch, S.: „Entdecken der Vorarlberger Stickereien in Westafrika“, Wirtschaftskammer Vorarlberg, 2009
• Sarlay A., Jurkowitsch, S.: An analysis of the current denotation and role of Wax & Fancy fabrics in the world of African textiles, International Journal of Management Cases 01/2010; 22:28-48.
• Storey, J.: Manual of Textile Printing. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1974
• Koné, F. B.: „Das Färben von Stoffen in Bamako.“ In: Bernhard Gardi (Hrsg.): Boubou c´est chic. Gewänder aus Mali und anderen Ländern Westafrikas. Museum der Kulturen Basel. Basel: Christoph Merian Verlag, 2000, pages 164-171.

External links

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