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Kente village weaver. They love their work - you
will love to wear their products.. Photo by
Muguette Goufrani.
African
Fashion Designers Win World Acclaim
by
Muguette Goufrani
  We're
# 1 for Africa Fashion on Google,
Search
2006.
Africans
are painting the world in a kaleidoscope of bold,
vibrant colour combinations and dazzling patterns.
The rich fabrics and virtually unlimited selection
of turbans and other festive headgear, bright
scarves, colourful wraps, wearable art and elegant
gowns that brightened our days and lit up our
evenings in Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon,
Cote d'Ivoire Uganda, Benin, Ghana, Tanzania,
Guinea and other African destinations, were simply
outstanding. What's more, so were the creators.
During the past decade as publishers, we've had the
privilege of meeting several of the brightest stars
in Africa's fashion galaxy, and thanks to the magic
of serendipity, more will surely appear in the near
future. As I've learned, in many African societies,
the choice of colours and textiles has special
significance to the wearer. For example, hats often
tell stories of everyday life, with its struggles,
spiced by uplifting periods of joie de
vivre.
While
I have lived and worked in various North and West
African countries in my earlier career as an
airline and travel agent, my media involvement has
brought the importance of African fashion into
sharp focus. How did this love affair start?
Perhaps it was at the first Africa Travel
Association Fashion Show, organized by Chief
Margaret Fabiyi of Lagos, Nigeria. The 'Chief' has
supplied many of my favorite wardrobe items ever
since. Here are some brief comments about her and
others in this fascinating field.
Textiles
from 53 Destinations in Africa and Offshore
Islands
 It's
amazing! For the past five years, the most popular
section on this web site, according to Webtrends,
which charts our page views day by day, is Africa
Travel Fashions. Since Africa Travel Magazine's
editors believe in giving readers what they want,
each new edition of our printed magazine contains
additional pages featuring the colorful clothing,
designers and fabrics of Africa,. In addition,
there are visitors tips on what and where to buy
Two years ago at the huge Merkato Market (the size
of several football fields) and other unique spots
in Addis Ababa, we were in Shoppers' Heaven. The
prices were exceptional with our exchange rate and
the variety of items was endless.
 Ghana's
Weavers of Dreams
When
myself and the Editor of Africa Travel Magazine,
visited historic Kumasi with our guide from
Sagrenti Tours of Accra, Ghana, we made several
trips to the weavers village which is located
nearby. As in the big city markets, were
overwhelmed by the wide variety of Kente cloth
items available. Be prepared to bargain - it's part
of the scene. The caps, shirts and other goods we
bargained for have since proven to be of excellent
quality - they never seem to wear out. The question
that arises most often when other North Americans
see us wearing our African duds is -"What is Kente
cloth?"
What
is Kente Cloth?
Basically,
it's an Asante ceremonial cloth that is hand-woven
on a horizontal treadle loom. The looms we saw at
the village near Kumasi were out in the open air,
although in a grassy, shaded area. Cloth strips,
approximately 4 inches wide are sewn together into
larger bolts. Of many colors, sizes and designs,
Kente cloth items, long scarfs in particular,
 are
worn throughout Ghana and its neighboring
countries, during most social and religious
occasions. The name comes from the word 'kenten',
which means basket. We saw virtually every possible
color and pattern of kente cloth during the
day-long Durbar ceremony at Koforidua village near
Accra. According to Ghanaians, kente depicts the
area's history and philosophy, its ethics, oral
literature, moral values, social and religious
concepts. Back
to Africa
Fashion Upbeat Page
 We
would need a whole web site or catalog just to
cover fashions, wearable art, fabrics and shopping
venues in Ethiopia, let alone what I've already
experienced in Togo, Gabon, Cote d'Ivoire, Morocco,
Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and various
other destinations we've visited. We're now
considering a special edition of our magazine
devoted entirely to African travel fashions with a
gallery of color photos.
Sites
to See! Africa
Direct: http://africadirect.com/products2.php?category=9&subcategory=30
 Speaking
of Ethiopian Design, attractive, multicolor
scarves and shawls are very popular with visitors.
I bought several, one to match each of 3 separate
outfits. Such an array to chose from, and they take
up so little weight and space in your suitcase. The
photo (right) by Robert Eilets of New York, was
taken at Lake Tana. We visited a busy and bountiful
outdoor market there at Bahar Dar, a lakeside
resort that is sure to become a major tourism
attraction of the future thanks to its historic
setting and the addition of an attractive new
resort that was nearing completion at the time of
our visit in February 2000. details
Textile Information from the Web
Adire
African textiles gallery:
variety of styles. Some African textiles such as
adinkra, kente and bogolan are becoming
increasingly well known. www.adire.clara.net/
Social
Fabric:
Exploring the Kate Kent Collection of African
Textiles. www.du.edu/duma/africloth/
Sub-Saharan
African Textiles.
from MARLA MALLETT www.marlamallett.com/african.htm
South
Africa's Fashion
Week
Sandton
Convention Center, July
Fashion
Boutiques of Cape Town
Capsule
on a variety of great little shops
Africa
Fashion
For traveling,
attending gala events, meetings, or looking good
for any occasion, has been a number one topic in
Africa Travel Magazine and its powerful website. We
use Webtrends to monitor our site, plus the
power of Google and Yahoo to see how we stack up
against other media. You will be surprised. Below
is a link to my first article on the subject of
hats. I have a passion for hats, as you will
learn.
Our award winning
website is search leader for Africa Fashion on MSN,
Google and Yahoo from 5 million entries.(Feb.
2005)
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