West African Textiles: Indigo

Malian Woman Producing Indigo in the
Dogon Country

Beginning this project in Ghana, where African-produced wax print is ubiquitous, I thought sourcing locally made textiles would be as simple when I arrived in Senegal. Once I started visiting markets and speaking with textile importers, I quickly realised it would be much more difficult to find textiles for Madame Tây that had been produced in Senegal, if not impossible.

As we were developing this project, we realised we had the unique opportunity to be able to explain how our garments were produced. For us, ethical production starts with the materials used to create a garment, but as Steph remarks in her earlier posts about the cotton industry (All About Cotton - Part I and Part II), the production processes involved in creating the fabric we purchased are completely closed off to us.

Working in West Africa, where most young people prefer buying mass-manufactured clothes imported from China, or second hand clothes imported from all over the world,  this was particularly poignant for me as I hoped that Madame Tây would not only be able to support Senegalese artisans, but also the local textile industry. When I realised that there was no local textile industry in Senegal (You can read more about  the wax print used to create Madame Tây garments here), I started looking further abroad.

Know Your Wax

Wax Prints at a store in Tamale, Ghana

When purchasing wax print fabric here in Dakar it can be hard to really know where the fabric you find in the big markets comes from and who was responsible for its design and its production. Often the fabric sellers won’t be too sure themselves, and some prefer to feign ignorance when the wax they sell is foreign, out of worry their customers won’t pay a decent price if they know the fabric is made in India or China. Adding to this, most people I’ve spoken to here just don’t know where the wax they wear comes from - in the same way that I couldn’t tell you where my Cue shirt was produced, or where the cotton used to make it was grown and manufactured.

Whilst I can’t tell you where the cotton for every wax print I bought came from, I want to share with you what I’ve learnt since being here in Senegal about the different wax prints that are available and particularly those that are used in Madame Tây garments. Most of this information I learnt from talking informally with a few Senegalese textile industry professionals who import textiles into Senegal. For a country whose second main export is cotton, there is an incredible amount of importation of textiles – mainly from Asian countries. This is due to the lack of processing plants in Senegal to turn the cotton they grow into thread or fabric. When I’ve asked any of the Senegalese designers or tailors I’ve met here why such processing factories don’t exist, they have all thrown up their hands in exasperation and been unable to answer! 

When you purchase a Madame Tây piece from Senegal, please don’t hesitate to ask us for more information about the fabric – we’ll be happy to share with you what we know!

Read more after the jump

Print Stories: Eyes

This is one of my favourite fabrics. You see it all over Ghana, with both women and men wearing it all the time. Called ‘L’Oeil de Boeuf’ (Bull's eye) in many francophone countries, the print is known quite simply as ‘Eyes’ in Nigeria, as well as being called ‘God’s eye’ in Ghana.

 

In Benin, the print has a bit of a story behind it. It is called ‘Lisu ya pite’ which means ‘lustful eye’ and is worn by a woman to show a man that she desires him. So if you’ve got any seducing to you and need a bit of help, you’ll be able to have your own lustful eye shirt or bag when Madame Tây launches in January!

Madame Tây's 'Eye' fabric

Print Stories: Nkrumah's pencil

This ever-popular fabric, whilst sometimes referred to as ‘backgammon’ for its similarity to the zigzag pattern of the board game, is fondly called ‘Nkrumah’s Pen’ in homage to Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah. 

Nkrumah was seen as a powerful force behind Ghana’s liberation from its British colonial masters, and was praised for his forward vision and desire to create an industrialised, modern Ghana. When he was appointed in 1960, he was beloved by the Ghanaian people and this in part was due to his charisma and the powerful speeches he delivered. The story goes that Nkrumah would meticulously write notes with a very sharp pencil before giving a speech, and so this fabric was named in honour of his fine wit and sharp intellect (and his sharp pencil!).

The print is now available all over West Africa. We found a lovely dark green version at the Marché Sandaga in Dakar, Senegal and loved it so much we bought 12 metres! 

The Nkrumah's pencil that will be featuring in Madame Tay's first production lot.

 The below vintage shot comes from Malian photographer Adama Kouyaté, who owned a photo studio in Ségou during the 1960s and 1970s. The women is wearing a simple dress and wrap skirt made from Nkrumah's pencil - we'd love to know what colour she chose!

Photo Credit: Adama Kouyaté, taken from http://www.fringueuse.com/

You can find more beautiful vintage photos by Adama Kouyaté here:

http://www.fringueuse.com/2012/10/adama-kouyates-vintage-portraits-of-west-africa/

West Africa Production - Phase One: Design with Martha

When we first decided to start the Madame Tây project we were pretty excited, but also pretty nervous. How were we, four passionate but far from professional fashion aficionados going to design and produce our own range of clothes? Luckily, we have had a bunch of talented and creative friends backing us through the entire process. In West Africa, this includes a team of people spanning the whole region!

Martha hard at work at her machine, with a pile of wax print waiting for her from her many, many customers!

Our design processed started in Tamale – the capital of the Northern Region of Ghana. I had been living here for a year prior to moving to Senegal, and in that time had developed a special friendship with Martha, the ‘best tailor in all of Ghana’ (according to Martha’s brother Henry, that is).

Martha with her two apprentices, Vida and Olivia

Martha was very supportive of the idea behind Madame Tây, and played a crucial role in the initial design stages. Together, we planned, drew and designed the pieces to be produced in Senegal. Without her keen eye for contemporary fashion, and her intimate knowledge of the intricacies of garment production and working with wax print, it would have been impossible to produce our made-in-West-Africa pieces. 

Initial Designs with Martha at her atelier

This was a super interesting process, as a lot of the ideas we initially had wouldn't work for a range of reasons. Working strictly with wax print can be limiting -- it is quite stiff and the detailed motifs means that it takes a pretty skilled eye to cut into the fabric properly to ensure the final design is correct. I learnt a whole lot about the production process of tailor-made clothes from Martha, and we are very grateful for all her support!

Inspiration Posters at Martha's atelier in Tamale, Ghana

Print Stories: Hirondelle

Despite wax print fabric’s foreign origins,  West Africans have claimed the fabric and proudly wear it as their own. A part of this process has been taking ownership of some of the more classic motifs by assigning them meanings. As a foreigner in West Africa, it is not always easy to understand the signification of each print, but I’ve found textile sellers are more than happy to chat about them and are normally pretty excited to be sharing such an intimate part of their culture.

One of these prints, Hirondelle (the French word for sparrow) will feature in Madame Tay’s first collection. Interestingly, each country seems to have given a slightly (or massively, in some cases!) different story to the print, although interestingly most of them revolve around the theme of money.

Togo: In this small francophone West African country, this print is commonly known as Air Afrique. The story behind this name is pretty straightforward – apparently around the time of the print’s release in the 1970s a Togolese based airline began using the motif on their employee’s uniforms.

Image credit: vlisco.com

      Benin: Togo’s francophone neighbour Benin has baptised the print l’argent vole – a play on words which has the double meaning of ‘money flies’ (as in money is spent quickly) and ‘money steals’ (this one’s a bit more abstract…)

Nigeria: The largest ethnic group in Nigeria, the Igbo, call the print ‘Eneke’ in reference to a proverb from famous Nigerian author Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’, where he explains that "Eneke the bird says that since men have learned to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching."

Madame Tay's Hirondelle - Purchased from GTP, a Ghanaian designed and produced brand.

      In Ghana, where this GTP fabric was purchased (photo above), it is known as 'Sikatuse Anumaa' which means 'money flies like a bird'. The pattern refers to how fleeting money is -- here today, gone tomorrow. I can relate.

A Short History of Wax Print in West Africa: Authentic African Fabric?

The first time I came to West Africa was 2007. Motivated by the desire to learn French and drawn by the cheap cost of living, I chose Senegal as my destination and like many foreigners who arrive in this vibrant country I was immediately intrigued by the dynamism and energy of the capital city, Dakar. What struck me most was the incredible way Senegalese women and men wore colours and prints – and remember this was pre-Solange and before ‘print on print’ was even a thing. The more time I spent in West Africa, namely in Senegal and Ghana, the more I learnt about the diverse range of textiles available here and about their varying levels of  authenticity – whilst many of the popular fabrics worn here are African, most are not – but does that make them any less authentic as symbols of West African culture?

Considering that wax prints are emerging steadily in mainstream fashion with icons such as Beyonce and Gwen Stefani wearing them regularly, and haute couture labels like Burberry Prorsum featuring them heavily in their recent collections, the question of where these ‘African Wax Prints’, as they are so often described, originated from is super important, and reveals a long and fascinating history.

L-R: Lady Gaga, Anna Wintour, Kate Bosworth and Solange Knowles all in Burberry Prorsum SS 2012   [Image Credit: culturaltoast.wordpress.com]

Let’s go back a bit first.