Wax print turtleneck by My Asho Fashion.
Photo courtesy of MyAshoMarket.
Growing up in Nigeria, I was always fascinated by the big, bold, and colorful prints that you could see everywhere you went, from the market to church to visiting relatives. My childish fascination was further indulged when visiting my grandparents, out of the city, for long holidays. You see my grandmother ran a fabric shop. She sold various types of fabric including wax prints. I would sit with her during the opening hours of the shop and watch the interactions. I remember the huge dressmaker’s scissors slicing through fabric that was then handed over to customers. These interactions often involved the customers telling my grandmother what the fabric was going to be used for: an outfit for a wedding, a festival, a party.
Fast forward to my days as a university student where I made and sold bags and purses. As my hobby turned into an online business I would often get asked where the fabric I used to make my bags came from and I realized that people were interested in the fabric itself for their own exploration and use. This led me to start up a second business sourcing and selling African made fabrics.
Through my business, Urbanstax, I source fabric manufactured in African countries and sell them to dressmakers, fashion designers, quilters, hobbyists, crafters, and anyone who wants fabric. I sell a few types of fabric, one of which is African wax prints. As an online store, we have buyers from all over the world and have seen the fabric transformed into cushions, dresses, shoes, toys, curtains, cycling caps and so much more.
Wax print dress by My Asho Fashion,
Photo courtesy of MyAshoMarket.
Urbanknit Fashion UrbanKnit.
Photo courtesy of by Benedetto Photography
What are African wax prints?
The wax prints, although called African, have a long and engaging history. They were first produced in the 1800s by the Dutch as an attempt to copy and mass-produce hand-drawn wax resist Indonesian batiks. These didn’t take off in the Indonesian market but found a receptive audience in West Africa. As demand and popularity grew, production was also established in England and Switzerland in the early 1900s and eventually in African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast after these countries gained independence from colonial rule in the 1960s. Today these prints are also produced in China.
My shop often takes our fabrics to various crafting shows in the UK throughout the year for people to touch, feel, and buy. We enjoy getting to know our customers while we’re on the road. Somewhat naively, I initially didn’t consider that some customers may feel uncomfortable wearing the fabric as a dress. I often get asked, ‘who can wear these?’, ‘is it cultural appropriation if I wear something from this fabric?’ ‘can I make a dress and wear it?’ My simple, short answer is anyone can wear wax prints. These are cotton printed fabric so sew and wear them as you would any other cotton. Liberty prints, which are quintessentially British, are popular all over the world, after all. This is purely my personal opinion and others would have a different take on it.
My long answer, on the other hand, is to ask what exactly is African fabric? What makes it African? The wearer? The producer? The fabric designer? A mix of all of these or none at all?
Fabrics sold by Urbanstax
Photo courtesy of Urbanstax
The term African wax print just doesn’t cut it. I would even argue it’s actually a brilliant marketing ploy. This is where the different debates lie. Somewhere here too is why I started my fabric business. I’m somewhat uncomfortable with the idea that the fabric is considered African purely because it is mostly worn by Africans. Africa is, after all, a continent consisting of 54 completely different countries. One fabric cannot possibly represent the sheer diversity of cultures and tastes. Perhaps that is a debate for another day. There is no such thing as European fabric, is there?
Although the major producers of wax prints were Dutch and British, it is the locally produced prints of Ghana and Nigeria that I fell in love with as a child. One of the things I enjoy about the fabric, apart from the unique color combinations and bold designs, is the meanings and names they have acquired in different countries and these are the prints I sell. These are fabrics worn by Africans but more importantly produced by Africans in African countries. Why should this fabric be labeled purely for its consumption?
Sadly, most of these textile manufacturers have disappeared over the last 60 years with only a handful still in operation. This is why at Urbanstax we only retail fabric made in an African country as I feel economics is a more important conversation to have than appropriation. I am uncomfortable with the fact that the creation of African wax prints does not benefit those it claims to represent. This is not to say it cannot be produced by others, but it is important that some benefit is retained in terms of employment, control of creativity, and so on.
It’s also important to note that various countries have their own fabric traditions. Nigeria has Adire which is tie-dye fabric, for example, and interestingly the use of these other types of African fabrics does not generate quite the same level of debate about cultural appropriation as wax prints when some of these can be deemed as more authentic.
The key thing with using or wearing African prints or any fabric that is distinctly associated with another culture that is not our own is acknowledgment. There have been instances where entire catwalk collections are made using wax prints with not a single mention of the fabric origin and its rich stories. This is where people become uncomfortable as this can’t be deemed as mere oversight.
Although wax prints were seen as a passing summer trend, it looks like they are here to stay. This is great as they are just so much fun to work with and to wear. So, yes grab yourself some wax print fabric and maybe find out a little bit more about where it was made, if a particular design has any meaning and if it is the genuine stuff. All this allows one to make an informed decision about using and wearing it.
Dolapo James
Contributor
Dolapo James is the creator and owner of Urbanknit and Urbanstax, a handmade accessory brand and a modern African Fabric shop respectively. With a background in architecture, Dolapo is passionate about design as a means to communicate, navigate, and enjoy the world around.
Born in Nigeria and currently living in the UK, Dolapo draws from her interest in building design, graphics, fashion, textiles, photography, and art to inform the direction of her businesses. Dolapo has a particular love for bold patterns and prints and unusual color combinations.
Thank you for such an enjoyable and informational article. Also, thank you for addressing the issue of cultural appropriation. As a white woman of a certain age, I love the bright colors and prints of the wax textiles but am hesitant to wear or use these prints in quilting because of criticism for adopting styles not native to my heritage. I really think this is completely unwarranted and unfair to the manufacturers and sellers of African prints. Why shouldn’t everyone enjoy all of the wonderful fabrics of the world, whether in a kimono or blue jeans? Good luck to your business and I am looking forward to seeing more.
Ditto
I love the thought of this. I often think how beautiful one must feel wearing a sari, how practical a Russian head scarf is. But to wear one would be to appear to be dressing up in a costume of another culture. I wish there were some way to incorporate items from around the world in a respectful way. Hopefully someday!
There is.. Its called Fare Trade. Francis+Benedict is one for example.
Another is Sseko. They are local companies that trade ethinical goods that in turn pay those who.made the item. I am an Advocate for F+B and invite you to check out our website.
Maybe if enough of us do it it will become the “norm”.
This article came at a perfect time as I was just involved in a conversation regarding African wax prints and cultural appropriation. I personally feel you are paying a tribute to another cultural when you use their fabrics, style, or decor, as long as you acknowledge the origins and stories behind them. Thank you so much for such an insightful article and I wish you the best of luck in your business endeavors. I just joined your mailing list and I am looking forward to perusing your website Urbanstax.
I have been curious about these fabrics. They are always so beautiful. Very informative article. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I will be visiting your Urbanstax website next!
I wanted to share this trailer to a film about African wax prints as well, for more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiN4DztRCVY
Very interesting, short but informative clip!
I’m so glad to have read this article … my girlfriend brought home fabric from Africa as a gift for me as I am an avid sewist, making quilts, home decor and clothing. I have four coordinating navy and yellow vibrant prints. The texture and drape is different than the fabrics I generally use and I was unaware of its cultural context yet instinctively knew there was a story there. I made a sundress but was a bit hesitant to wear it. Thank you for providing the background information I was seeking!
I think it’s great that people are aware of the pitfalls of cultural appropriation and asking the question. I agree with your answer. Just be aware that something is not of your culture and don’t try to pretend that it came from nowhere.
I have been following UrbanStax growth since 2018 and absolutely love everything Dolapo has been doing, especially sourcing fabrics manufactured in African countries. This takes extra diligence and I deeply admire her commitment.
I am a white woman and a fabric retailer in the US. My family is multi-racial/multi-ethnic, as well. I’ve sewn African prints for years and travelled to London for waxies I can’t get in the States. [with mixed responses from the shop owners, mostly positive]
On the issue of white people incorporating wax into their creative practice, I’ve noticed an observable difference between UK/Europe and the US.
Vendors and customers from African countries who I’ve spoken with on the topic of wax prints being used by the American general population tend to have similar opinions. Basically, that colonial history complicates the issue but anyone who appreciates African wax prints – and, as Dolapo said, acknowledges the textile’s lineage – should use them.
In the US, however, white supremacy and an apparently limitless entitlement of white people to cherry pick the fruits of Black Culture, a modern kind of colonial attitude, complicates the same issue and I don’t think we in the fabric space have reconciled it.
I would love to see a round table or town hall discussion on this topic with participants from around the globe. And, a follow up discussion exploring the different ways appropriation exists (or doesn’t exist) within other textile cultures.
The topic is near and dear to me and many others and I’m grateful to Dolapo and CIA for bringing it to the surface. There is so much to understand . Thank you.
The Democrats love to speak for others with their cancel culture and wokeness. This only divides people. Let people enjoy whatever speaks to their heart. It is cultural APRECIATION!! And people need to have the balls to say it, period.
I have the balls to say SHUT UP. If you’re not woke you’re ASLEEP.
Great article and very informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge
Michelle, as a hand dyer of fabric, who had the great adventure of visiting indigo dye pits near Jos, Nigeria @ the age of fourteen I love you comments. Fabric is to be worn and seen and used. Let’s acknowledge where our influence are from and breed better understanding of culture and heritage.
Really appreciate this article. I’ve lived and traveled in India off and on for 60+ years (yes, I am ancient!)…Used Indian fabrics in garments and never thought twice. I collected wax prints when visiting my daughter who lived and worked in Uganda about 20 years ago…I didn’t want to buy six meters at a time, so I ended up asking various tailors for their “cutaways” that is, what was cut out under the arms for a long dress…I paid whatever they asked, sometimes, only a tip when they were grateful to have someone “takeaway” the fabric.
What made me very sad at the time, is how left over, indestructible garments from USA went to Goodwill and then shipped to Uganda were taking over the garment scene, thus cutting out traditional tailoring and traditional fabrics…all for a cheap Tshirt that said, NYC or Seattle…
This is a great story, thank you. I agree on the concerns of cultural appropriation, and a Kenyan friend said she was thrilled to see the fabrics I wore outside of Kenya. I love African wax prints! They are a pleasure to wear and to work with . There is a great store called Zuri (online and in NYC and San Francisco) that sells dresses (one style) in many different fabrics. They are the best dresses I own and I love the fabrics. The female owned business employs 100% Kenyan workers to make the clothes, they are paid a fair wage and source fabrics from several African countries.
I love Zuri dresses too! Their website tells the story of some of the fabrics and features some of the Nigerian and Tanzanian vendors who sell them. I have also recently asked myself if it is cultural appropriation for me (a white woman) to wear these clothes. A key point others have raised is to educate yourself about the source of the clothing. That Zuri pays workers fair wages and helps keep them economically stable is also very important.
I am also a huge fan of Zuri and their whole approach to the production of their ‘one dress’! I fully support the idea that the producers of the fabrics are centre stage in marketing the resulting fashion. Cultural apporpriation is ‘stealing’ from another culture and pretending it’s yours. As long as it’s clear where it’s coming from then I think that the more people that wear/use these fabrics the better.
As a First Nation’s friend of mine explained to me there is a difference between appropriation and appreciation. I wear her beautiful moccasins for appreciation of the art.
I loved your article thank you And have a piece of African wax print which I am now going to use.
My problem is that much of the indigenous art in Australia was used without respecting either the artist or the cultural heritage. It was copied by unscrupulous operators and used without reference. Is this an issue with African wax prints please?
I also am grateful I came upon your article. I lived in Nigeria as a tween / teen and believe that the cultural adventures that my father took us on have shaped my art and my craft. Particularly the trip to the high plateau of Jos, in Northern Nigeria where we walked through the indigo dye pits nearby Jos. I cannot find these dye pits referenced anymore, but I am clear on the memory. So beautiful.
This is great information! I am a supporter of a small children’s home in Kenya, and the women who work there sewed a beautiful dress for me as a gift. It is made out of the gorgeous wax fabric, and I love it — but I have been afraid to wear it in public because of the appearance of cultural appropriation. I still don’t think I can. It is a sensitive time. But maybe one day. I have also considered repurposing the fabric to make something for my home, but I’m not sure that would be the right way to honor their gift.
I think you should wear it with great pride and if you get blow back, gently explain where it came from and how it relates to you. It is only in ignorance that people make uneducated remarks. Those of us with a broader sense of the world need to help others see beyond…
Very interesting article that focused on important issues involved in ethnic wear, cloth and clothes that reflect on not just art but also cultural identity. I think that for Africans and African descendants this discussion has great significance, and especially today where there is greater recognition and appreciation of our African roots.
I for one am very pleased that we ourselves are able to exhibit greater appreciation for our heritage through the cloths originating in our motherland. However, while Increased interest should be encouraged but we should definitely be careful to avoid appropriation as was so eloquently expressed in the original article.
I like to look different so I purchase the Fabric & make my own clothes. I had an old blanket that was my Mom’s. One of my daughters loved the blanket but it had some small & big holes. Well I took the scraps of prints I had left over and patched the blanket up with it. My daughter loves it because the fabric & the blanket went well together because the theme matched as there were faces of Africans on the blanket.
It is interesting that the website has circled back to this article from May of 2020.
I find the whole discussion about cultural appropriation confusing. I feel like it is simiiar to discussions of background and experience – one cannot tell about me just by looking at my outside.
So does cultural appropriation mean that because I am of Irish and Eastern European decent that I can only wear fabrics that reflect these traditions? What about the rest of the “Heintz 57” DNA?
Coming from California, I spent my informative teen years (1962 – 1965) in Awo Ommma, Nigeria, surrounded by a wealth of artistic and tribal color that helped to shape the person I have become. My father made sure that we explored the Jos indigo dye pits, the pottery studios, the dance rituals…. He helped immerse us in the cultural happenings of our village. We went to the markets full of rice and goat meat, trinkets and fabric. Learned of adire and dutch wax prints and Kenta cloth. Soaked in the rich embroidery of the Chief’s dashiki, and colorful prints used in other Nigerian tunics and the wealth of traditional Nigerian wear.
I became a teacher, an artist, now a quilter, and recently a sewer of my own clothes. I would love to have some of the wax print fabrics that I brought back from Nigeria those many years ago still. The intricate patterns of blue on blue, blue on white fascinate me. I have one wrapper left that belonged to my father (who embraced this custom, – hey why not? much more sensible than pants in some instances…). I have been thinking about using it as a whole quilt, because the patterns are not to be cut up.
I guess my conclusion is: know why you are wearing, using or “appropriating” a particular cultures pattern, embrace it, and wear it with pride and understanding.
Thank you for this information. I’m a social media manager for a personal fashion stylist and she’s using the term “African prints” in referring to a print trend. I’ve researched online to find the correct way to describe such prints. Beyond the cultural appropriation involved, I’m trying to find the proper way to bring up her usage of this term and why it shouldn’t be used.
This article failed go mention that African Wax print (also Australian batik) was inspired by Indonesian batik fabric designs brought over by the Dutch East India company in the 1800s. Many things we know today have been inspired by another culture another, or combining elements of different cultures. There are many human artistic expressions that are culturally unique to certain regions, and many that come from being inspired by another cultures. So being originally an Indonesian art form, is it cultural appropriation? No, its merely a native African adaptation of this Austronesian art form, and giving credit to the Austronesian originators and predecessors of wax print is badly due.
https://tendancewear.com/blogs/news/heres-the-difference-between-african-wax-print-and-bogolanfini-fabrics
Thank you for this article. I just found out about Zuri dresses from Sarah Milligan’s videos (UK comedian). I have a similar concern with Indigenous items in Canada. I would like to support Indigenous artists but am afraid of being accused of cultural appropriation. I will take this question to the Indigenous community and see what they say to see if their view is similar or different.
Nice to see you here, Dolapo! And, great article! I think you are right on target with the key points, especially the economics and . ownership issues. The term “cultural appropriation” has taken on a larger meaning than it was intended to, in my opinion. The main criticism is of large fashion houses using prints or decorative elements in their designs without giving attribution to the origin and without investing in those sources.
There are many indie designers who collaborate with producers, like you have done for so many years, and are an important source of income for the weavers, printers, dyers, etc. who need the business. So many of these techniques are disappearing all around the world because of lack of business, war, industrialization, etc, so makers who use authentic supplies do a great service to keep those techniques and traditions alive.
On another level, when I lived in Chicago, my community was extremely diverse. I knew small importers from all over the world had friends from many countries and when we gathered, it was like an explosion of color, dance, music, laughter, food…. and we enjoyed trading with each other. Wearing something African for me reminded me of my friend who gave it to me. And, it is always an opportunity for education. A fabric, a piece of jewelry, an embroidery…. something that is different from mass produced clothing or adornment stands out. Someone might ask where it is from and that can lead to a whole discussion about that part of the world.
I really think that it is about intent. Is the use of something done as a collaboration or is it about stealing ideas? One of my African friends, a trader, said that you can never rip off an African because trading is a part of their blood, their history. That may be true on an individual level, but there are always companies looking to steal ideas and mass producing them. Whenever this happens, it devaluates all of the original products and you usually see this happen when there is instability or war or in a country. People are hungry, need money and they sell off their valuables for nothing, making it very hard for dealers or businesses who have traded legitimately in those wares. Ikea swooped in on Afghanistan and bought huge amounts of Baluchi rugs after 9/11. I had a gallery in Chicago at that time with an Afghan partner and we had Baluchi rugs. Ikea was selling similar rugs (3×5) for $350 while we had them at $900, reflecting prices that my partner had paid when things were stable.
These are complexities that we should all examine. When in doubt, ask your African friends (or Guatemalan, or Indian, etc.) and then go forward with your heart!
I agree with you. This person is honouring the gift given freely by people who appreciate her. She should not feel bad about wearing this. If someone asks about the dress it creates an opportunity to tell them about the people who gave it and about the relationship with them. A win, win as I see it!