Wax Prints with Christina

I recently relocated to Toronto, Canada not fully prepared for what it had in store for me, especially when it came to the weather.  Before arriving, I thought I would be rocking uber stylish winter outfits for a good chunk of the year. Instead I have been rocking a navy winter puffer coat stuffed with duck feathers for the past 5 months (imagine a sleeping bag worn vertically).

Needless to say, when I received a package in the mail with our bright patterned  wax prints, it really cheered up my day!

The weather has picked up to a ‘balmy’  10 degrees now and it’s time to bust out the short-shorts. Here are some photos of how you can style our Wax Print Blazer and our Wax Print Shorts.

Whoever said office attire can’t be stylish/fun, prove them wrong and team our Wax Print Blazer with some smart trousers and heels for a professional, yet fashionable look.  

Here, I teamed our Wax Print Shorts with a light denim jacket and a bright blue sweater  - given the shorts carry themselves, best to keep the top half of your outfit understated and simple.

For the brave, you could go all out and pair the above two as a twin-set combo which looks really fun. I initially accessorised the outfit with a thick, gold chain necklace and gold bangles and thought I looked really cool. Fact is, I also looked like I was auditioning as a backup dancer for a hip hop music video or something. Lesson learnt, keep accessories to a minimum when dealing with loud prints.

How would you style your MT Wax Prints?

Photos by me and Matt

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/

Print Stories: Coquillage

This print is most commonly known as coquillage, meaning ‘shell’ in French. Other names for it include ‘Bunch of Bananas’ and ‘Snail Shell’. It is a heritage design, dating from the 1960s – fifty years on and it is still as popular as ever. Wandering around the streets of Accra or Lome you’re guaranteed to spot at least one person wearing the familiar print.

Image: vlisco.com

Abobo: a print found in our tailor Diogo's workshop

In Togo, the print is known as 'Abobo to le gome' meaning 'the snail is out of its shell'. This name comes from the town of Abobo, located in the coastal region of Togo where they celebrate a snail festival each year in September called Abobozan. During the festival, the big molluscs are devoured by the locals -- apparently they are quite the speciality!

We spotted a beautiful navy blue, deep red and cream take of this classic print at Marche HLM in Dakar, Senegal that we snapped up for Madame Tay's first collection. Here's a sneak peek:

Coquillage, Detail 1 

Coquillage, Detail 1

The beautiful coquillage print that we are using for Madame Tay

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.