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..

Kente Cloth, Haute as Ever

Kente Cloth is the official traditional Cloth of the Ashanti tribe in Ghana. The authentic Kente cloth is hand-woven  with the loom using cotton and silk.  The colour choices used in the weave are very vivid with unique symbolism.  For instance the yellow depicts preciousness, royalty, wealth while green symbolizes vegetation, spiritual renewal and growth.

The Asante Kente is characterized by it's geometric shapes, multicoloured composition and bold designs.  Because it is hand-woven they can be expensive, so also available are the Kente Prints which are made through the dye and wax technique. The Kente print besides being less expensive, is more readily incorporated into modern fashion as it is the more manageable in terms of texture, weight and ease of care.

The different patterns each have a name and meaning derived from historical events, proverbs, individual achievements, philosophical concepts, moral values, social code of conduct etc.

Four inch strips of Kente are sewn together to produce the desired size. The Kente strips can also be worn as scarves and head wraps.  I have seen shoes and bags fabricated with Kente so really the fabric is quite versatile and lends itself to the creative hands of the fashion geniuses...

On a side note, the hair wraps in the next three photos are not Kente but they are no less elaborate.  I am thinking to do a blog post on these beautiful hair accesories!! Make your suggestions and questions heard in the comment box below...

The two pictures below illustrate the Kente Print tastefully married with modern fashion...

Bill and Hillary Clinton donned Kente when they visited Ghana in 1998...

You may also like: 12 Kente Fashion Dress Styles, African Prints and Bold Colours
Photo credits: saflirista.com, kenteworld.com, globalpost.com.