Kente Cloth Versus Kente Wax Print

 

If you can't tell the difference between Original Kente Cloth and The Kente Wax Print counterpart, you are not alone as  advancement in industrial textile manufacturing have blurred the lines leaving the inexperienced fashionista befuddled.  Allow me to explain.  First do a double take at these three Kente Dress Styles...
Can you tell the real Kente from the print?  Well neither could I.

I attended a traditional function a couple of weekends ago where I obtained pictures of these gorgeous traditional African dress styles.  I had to seek help from some friends, Kente experts, if I may to tell the legit Kente from the wannabe Kente.  I am not about to spill the goods on which Kente fabric shown here is the real deal but I will share what I learned from the questions I asked how you can tell the authentic fabric apart from the print version.

Real Kente is hand-woven on a loom, an intricate and time-consuming process, the resulting fabric hence can be up to ten times more expensive than the printed version.  The more obvious difference however is the cleaner, sharper delineations of the geometric patterns seen on the Kente print.  If it looks too good to be true, chances are it is.

The real Kente is woven using Rayon, a much thicker fabric than the mostly cotton or silk used for the Kente print.  As a consequence, the Kente Print is far more malleable, lending itself to more elaborate dress styles.

So much for the differences.  The obvious trend I noticed at the traditional function is how folks wore their Kente.  Pinks and Blues were the common colours, and I am guessing it is probably a 2012 thing.  Notice how in the pictures a chosen accent colour is used for accessorizing the outfit to achieve a more elegant and modern look.  I am referring to the Gele, head gear, which adds a Nigerian dimension to the Kente ensemble.  If you like bold colours, your are going to appreciate these looks...

I will explore the traditional way that Kente is worn by the Asante people in celebrating their culture and heritage in a blog post coming soon so visit the blog again if you like all things Kente.

Thanks for stopping by..

Nigerian Traditional Clothing And Dress Styles

The Nigerian Traditional arrangement was in bold and colourful attendance at this Ghanaian function I visited recently with hopes of covering different Kente designs and patterns. The trademark of the Nigerian  traditional attire is the head wrap, properly referred to as the gele (pronounced gay-lay) made from stiffened fabric and elaborately arranged and held together with hair pins.  Though it can obstruct the view of anybody stuck behind the wearer, it is nontheless a beautiful thing to behold.

Specifically, the Nigerian traditional costume has it's origins with the Yoruba people who claim 21 percent majority of the Nigerian population.  The common fabrics used to make the clothing are lace, jacquard, ankara, and tie and dye.

But there is more to the Nigerian traditional clothing ensemble. Here are the parts:

• Gele is the headwrap
• Buba is the blouse
• Iro is the bottom piece which is essentially a rectangular piece of fabric wrapped around the waist, and
• Iborun/Ipele is the accessory scarf

So when it's all put together, here is the look...

Hope you liked the pictures, leave a comment if you please, and thanks for stopping by...

Related articles

• Kente Cloth, Haute as Ever

  ---

• Dress Traditional With the Kaba and Slit Combination

  ---

• African Prints and Bold Colours

  ---