The African print has been from the beginning, the African fabric is commonly known as "Ankara". Ankara fabric has proven to be versatile and is now recognized on the global fashion scene.
Lace used to be the king of the African fabric but today it had been displaced by the widely accepted Ankara fabric.
According to the article 'fashion reborn' by fibre2fashion "the destiny of the 'once before' cheap Ankara fabric has undergone a magical transformation. Elegant creativity of the designers has made it a preferred choice of the rich and famous"
It baffles me how the Ankara which was known before as the fabric of the poor, under-privileged and was restricted to cultural festivities because of its bright color pattern and relatively low cost, today has become a widely accepted fabric.
More appealing and sophisticated designs are being produced frequently, hence the rise in price and better acceptance by the populace.
For over two decades the textile mill in Nigeria has crashed into an industrial abyss and the country has witnessed the drop from about 180 textile mills to almost zero as revealed by an article of the Nigerian Textile Economy.
But in recent times the sector has had a rebound, our textile companies are gradually rising and we have up to 26 functioning mills.
In the last few years, a steady growth has been recorded in the industry due to the current global Ankara trend and we're hopeful that the industry will not suffer a relapse.
Its availability in the local market has also made it a preferred choice. The overnight explosion of the use of Ankara fabric in the global fashion scene is perhaps one of the most notable fashion trends to have emerged from Africa over the last couple of years.
Several efforts have been made and are being made to keep it in the fashion scene especially in the foreign scene.
Ankara ensembles is now being worn on red carpets globally and international celebrities like Beyonce and Kim K have been seen to rock the Ankara fabric.
Celebrities like Mama Africa herself; Yemi Alade has not failed to flaunt the African print, along side a host of others.
Ankara has become a wardrobe staple.
Joining the league of men celebrating African prints is Frank Donga. He has chosen to rock Ankara pants. Way to go guys!
Ankara today is now being used in making bags, shoes, book covers, earrings, accessories and even flip flop. beautiful head wraps are been made with the Ankara fabric to complement our dress... Am still waiting to see what we can't do with this African print. Ankara is one of the trending fashion item in the Africa scene. And Nigerians are taking its use personal.
The more we proudly show off our love for own indigenous design and material the better chance our fabric has in competing with every other fabric anywhere else.
With many young adults taking interest in fashion designing and sewing, many innovative styles flood the market daily.
The Ankara fabric is one that is very versatile and constantly evolving to meet today's fashion fads. Hence, one may go as far as saying that the fabric and the trend have come to stay on the global fashion market.
#myAnkara-myNAIJAprint.
JOO
culled from: www.julian7blog.wordpress.com
Ankara our Nigerianity
ReplyDeleteExactly
ReplyDelete