African Wax Prints

As we point out in our book African Wax Print: A Textile Journey -

'African wax print fabric is a defining methaphor of African design, fashion and expression; an immediately recognisable icon throughout the world'.

Quite simply, it just says, 'Africa.'

All over - but especially West and Central Africa - wax print fabric is worn by women, men and children of every social standing, from humble farmers to elite politicians. It is tailored into elaborate dresses and suits and also worn as a simple wrapper or pagne.

The designs range from distinctively African motifs rooted in history to wacky object-based prints such as shoes, fans, bicycles - almost anything.

Wax print production has always been complex and expensive. In the early days, wax was used to create a resist before dyeing the fabrics in industrial quantities. Some designs also required overprinting by hand using wooden printing blocks.

The character of wax print

The original wax resist method gave the fabric its characteristic irregularities:

• a slight misalignment of colour and design
• plus, a distinctive crackle effect caused by tiny cracks in the resist

We call these irregularities the perfect imperfection.

Today, cheap Chinese copies of wax print flood the African market, often smuggled across borders tax free.

To compete, the few surviving African producers have simplified production. Some designs still use a resist, with resin replacing wax. Other designs are now screenprinted using sophisticated industrial technology that replicates the characteristics of wax print.

We do not sell Chinese fabrics. All of our wax print is made in Ghana, either by Vlisco-owned GTP or ATL.

Using African wax print

Genuine African wax print is very robust and stands up to years of washing. It's great for colourful and distinctive clothing. Many creative and innovative textile artists are using wax print in their quilts and wallhangings.