CNST 213 African Influences on Western Dress

african influences on western apparel African Dress
    To attempt to describe the nature of African dress one must consider a multitude of distinct styles, forms, and fashions. The size and ethnic diversity of the subcontinent seems to make that task difficult if not impossible.
    Despite the complexity, some broad patterns do emerge. The untailored wraparound garment has existed for centuries. Tailoring techniques seem to be an overlay on this base, with European dress as an even later addition. Further, the appearance of tailoring seems related to that of the horizontal strip loom, both possibly having been brought to West Africa along the old trans-Saharan trade routes.
    In West Africa, women work on a vertical loom, primarily with cotton. Cloth produced ranges from 16-20 inches wide and 48-72 in. long. Men work on a horizontal strip loom and produce narrow strips which are then edge-stitched together to make a cloth. Dramatic effects are produced when weft-striped strips are connected. They may be matched up to form stripes, alternated to produce a checkerboard effect, a combination of stripes and checks, or produce random designs.

Kente Cloth - Kente cloth, Ethnic Textiles Collection, University of Delaware is a colorful, narrow fabric strips woven by men in Ghana. These strips are pieced together to make a wider fabric used for garments. Links for this fabric include History of Kente cloth and Kente cloth from Ghana. This is an example of kente cloth.

Imitation Kente cloth, printed in Senegal - from the Ethnic Textiles Collection , University of Delaware This is an example of a fabric printed to imitate Kente cloth.

    Resist dyeing, a series of methods or devices to protect parts of a cloth while allowing others to receive the dye, results in quite spectacular cloths that are extremely popular in West Africa. The most common methods are tie-dye, sew and dye, and the use of a paste resist.
    In tie dyeing, intricate patterns are created by tying small areas with cotton or raffia strings or the cloth may be folded or crumpled and tied before dyeing. Designs may be sewn on the cloth and the stitches later picked out after dyeing to reveal a light on dark pattern.
    Batik is a method of resist dying that uses melted wax applied on the fabric in a predetermined pattern to resist dye penetration. The dye is absorbed by the fabric in the areas not covered with the wax. This method is popular in Africa and in Indonesia. This is an example of an Indonesian (Java) batik.
    Resist dyeing using cassava paste is similar to batik -a substance that will resist the penetration of the dye is arranged in a pattern on the cloth - it may be painted directly on the fabric, or applied through a stencil.

African American Dress in the 1960s
    The 1960s was a decade filled with movements and revolutions. The Equal Rights Movement, the Hippie Movement, the Youth Movement, the Peacock Fashion Revolution, the Black Power Movement, and the Civil Rights Movement - all of these were in response to differentiations between the "democracy" the US practiced and the reality of unequal treatment for minorities and women. Fashions reflected the social instability of this decade; hemlines rose and men grew tired of the gray flannel suit (Giddings, 1990).
    By 1965 the new look for women was the mini skirt; men became more fashion forward, experimenting with color, sumptuous fabrics, ruffles, and lace. Many of the contemporary fashions were made from manufactured fibers in knitted fabrics. However, denim became a very important symbol of protest against the establishment. It was faded, embroidered, patched, appliquéd, and sequined. Many of the designs created on the denim garments represented a message from the wearer -- "Make Love Not War," "Peace," "Black Power," "Black is Beautiful," etc. Consequently, fashion became a visual means of communication (Giddings, 1990).
    Feelings of racial pride and ethnic consciousness increased in African Americans during the mid-60s. This was due to the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King. "Although the Civil Rights Movement was socially and politically motivated, its effects could be seen in the physical appearance and social behavior of African Americans during the latter part of the decade" (Giddings, 1990, p.153)
    Many of the demonstrations related to the Civil Rights Movement were aggressive expressions of African Americans' discontent with societal practices of discrimination. However, subtle rebellions occurred simultaneously as African American women rejected the traditional image of beauty - long hair, thin lips, white skin and pointed noses. For many years, African Amercian females had struggled conform to white societies' image of feminine beauty. This standard included long straight hair. To achieve this look required the use of hot straightening combs or expensive chemical treatments. The cultivation of this image was another means of expressing the prevailing view that to be accepted one must embrace white culture(Giddings, 1990).
   By the late 1960s, African Americans had begun a fashion movement designed to express pride in their physical characteristics by flaunting rather than altering or concealing their features. The realization that short of complete physical reconstruction, blacks would never be able to completely conform to white standards led to the expression "Black is Beautiful." This was exemplified by African American women who let the natural texture of their hair show and had it cut and shaped in African styles. The Afro, also referred to as the “natural", became a symbol of black identity and pride as an African American. The Afro was popularized by civil rights workers and Black Nationalists as well as actresses and singers (Giddings, 1990).

Cultural Authentication of African textiles
Pride in their African heritage was also conveyed through African inspired fabrics and fashions. Mead and Pedersen (1995) examined the cultural authentication of West African textiles during the 1960-1979 time frame. The authors examined four periodicals (Ebony, Mademoiselle, Time, and Life) for evidence of West African textiles used in US apparel.

More examples of West African textiles were found in Ebony during the 1960s, but by the 1970s, African textiles had begun to penetrate into mainstream American fashions and more examples were found in Mademoiselle.
Evidence of the selection level of cultural authentication was found. African textiles were used in contemporary US apparel, as appropriate for US cultural norms, and not the norms of the African culture from which the fabric was borrowed.

West African textiles were observed in illustrations of both traditional and nontraditional apparel items.

Characterization and incorporation occurred in the 1960s as African Americans adopted the dashiki, a loose, tunic-style garment with motifs around the neck opening and the outer borders.
Transformation occurred as traditional west African textiles were used as inspiration for US textiles.
Kente cloth was the only type of West African fabric found in illustrations of apparel in the 1960s. By the 1970s other African fabrics were in use; however, kente cloth was still the most frequently observed (Mead & Pedersen, 1995).

African American Dress in the 1980s and 1990s
By the late 1980s, African American fashions and African influenced styles were in the fashion news again. As street fashion has become more and more important, we have seen more influence from inner city youth, African-Americans, and the music industry. Some of the trends led by these groups (It has primarily been African-American who men have led these trends) include high top sneakers worn untied, oversize T-shirts, lots of gold jewelry for men (80s), the Fade, Dreadlocks, African-inspired hats and other accessories with African maps and/or colors, and head wraps (often bandanas) for men (Tortora & Eubank, 1994).

Western Designers utilizing African themes

Caftan designed by Thea Porter, an English designer in the 1960s, who often was inspired by northern Africa.

Yves St. Laurent is a designer who has used inspiration from many cultures in his designs. Several of his collections have centered on African and Moroccan themes. He was born in Algeria and now lives in Paris and Morocco.

References
Giddings, V. L. (1990). African American dress in the 1960s. In Starke, B. M., Holloman, L. O., & Nordquist, B.K., eds.,
    African American Dress and Adornment: A Cultural Perspective, Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.,
    pp. 152-155.
Mead, P. & Pedersen, E. L. (1995). West African apparel textiles depicted in selected magazines from 1960 to 1979:
    Application of cultural authentication. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 23(4), 430-452.
Tortora, P. & Eubank, K. (1994). Survey of Historic Costume, 2nd. Ed. New York: Fairchild.

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Last Updated: October 7, 1998