Life & Work

African fabric claims its place on fashion podium

kitenge

The kitenge fabric is now being incorporated into outfits to suit the younger generation. Photo/Courtesy

It is Saturday afternoon and a corner of the Village Market shopping mall in Gigiri has been transformed into a colourful venue with people moving from one stall to the next looking at African inspired outfits.

Many of the items on display were made from the resilient Ankara, popularly known as kitenge locally, and other African fabrics including shukas which formed part of the highlight of the Kitenge Festival.

It was a showcase that confirmed that the kitenge is no longer reserved for the older generation but is also popular with the younger population.

“The kitenge is now associated with contemporary African fashion culture and we believe we should celebrate it,” says Grace Makosewe of Nairobi VIP, whose events company had hosted the Kitenge Festival.

The use of the fabric has been restyled with a modern touch to appeal to shoppers of all ages.

“African print has richness of colour,” says Alvin Mei the CEO and chief designer Urban Phunk, a fashion house based in Nairobi.

The kitenge has found its place on international catwalks like Burberry Prorsum and Marni for H&M using the Ankara fabric and Louis Vuitton with the Maasai print.

Having worked across the fashion world, Ann McCreath of KikoRomeo is no stranger in the fashion industry. She first saw African fabric in Milan nearly three decades ago. She fell in love with the fabric at first sight. Ten years later, she started KikoRomeo, working with African fabric to create modern pieces.

According to Ann, there has been an increase in the number of clients aged below 35 investing in the fashion trend.

“It is probably driven by the music stars and celebrities wearing African inspired items,” she says.

Local band Sauti Sol members have been some of the drivers of the trend, stepping on stage in their trendy kitenge blazers and shorts.

Wambui Mukenyi is one of the young local designers helping dress the young trendy Kenyans who are not afraid to wear fashionable outfits inspired by African fabrics.

“Our holiday collection showcased at the Kitenge Festival was all about the bright colours mixed with a little bit of African fabric,” she says.

Wambui is one of the young generation designers who are incorporating different African fabrics with more traditional ones such as satin, chiffon, denim and cotton to come up with unique designs.

“African print on its own is very bold, we incorporate it into other fabric to add that dash of colour,” says Winston Nyabera, the head designer at Nairobi based Dishol House of Design.

Ann concurs. “I loved the colours, but realised the clothing would not sell as it was not fashionable,” she explains “you have to make it more fashionable.”

Despite the growing popularity of the fabric, sourcing it is proving to be a major challenge, and a big driver of the cost of their pieces. Tanzania serves as a major supplier if the fabric at a lower cost.

“The fabric from Tanzania, however, it’s not as of high quality as the one from West Africa,” says Njogu Kasera, a partner at Dishol.

Higher quality fabric is mainly sourced from Nigeria and Ghana but at a steeper price. The cost of the product is determined by the quality of the material. To meet their clients’ different pockets sizes, Dishol House uses fabrics from both West Africa and Tanzania.

“Ghanaian fabric is much more expensive. A piece does not go for less than Sh3,000,” says Njogu.The kitenge is no longer reserved for outfits, though; it is being used to make hair accessories, belts, bags, earrings and even shoes.

Mei of Urban Phunk has been incorporating bits of the African fabric in his bag collection, using the material to add spots of colour to his denim backpacks.

With more people embracing the bold African prints in their day-to-day dressing, the trend appears to be gathering steam.

“The fabric is not going out of style, it’s just the trend that will change,” says Nyabera.

To stay ahead of the competition, each designer has to create a distinct design.

“How you accessorise something makes the difference. It is easier to have a drop of colour,” says Mei.

The quality of the finished product is also paramount. For quality control, designers hire supervisors to perform quality checks.

“For us to keep up with the international standard, we must make sure our merchandise is of the same quality,” says Mei.

In most local fashion houses, designers come up with the concept and then supervise the team implementing it. When their job is done, the designers have to hit the market and here is where competition heats up.

Smaller design houses offer products for those with modest budgets but larger houses like KikoRomeo target corporate clients with bigger spending power.

“Our clientele at KikoRomeo can easily spend Sh10,000 and Sh15,000 and on a special occasion Sh35,000,” says Ann.

Judging by the trends on the international scene, the local fashion industry is one to watch in the New Year. For those who want to catch a glimpse of what is hot, the timeless African inspired style will be on display at various events and competition including FAFA.

The African fabrics include Kitenge or Ankara fabric, the Ethiopian fabric, Kanga or Leso and the Maasai print fabric.

The modern style is to blend the different fabrics to come up with a final product. Shoes, clutch bags, hand bags and jewellery are some of the accessories that have the fabric incorporated into them.

The cost and durability of the material is mainly determined by the country of origin. West African fabric is more costly. Clients can get customised designs from different fashion houses.

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