What is this fabric print style?

February 14, 2024 8:25 AM

In an article about Tidiane Thiam, I saw this picture of him with some other members of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI-RDA). The party members are wearing these shirts made with a distinctive print that has squares filled with geometric patterns, like a quilt with a stricter unity across squares. Does this style have a name or a historical background?
posted by ignignokt to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (3 answers total)

Best answer: "Wax print" is the catchall term for this, though it's not specific to this pattern per se just the broader style. It's popular across West Africa (also Central and East) and there are also terms for it used in different African languages. There is a long history of people commissioning custom designs for political candidates, as well as for funerals (but this is generally only done for VIPs - say, a chief). The wiki page is a fine place to start, if you have access to an academic library there is loads of research that's been done on this.
posted by coffeecat at 8:39 AM on February 14 [5 favorites]

It looks like a type African Wax Print/Fancy Print/Ankara cloth - I haven't seen anything quite like this before (I am not any kind of expert) but I wonder if it's, like, a "greatest hits" fabric? Wax prints (and imitation wax prints) are often made in limited editions to commemorate specific occasions so maybe this is cloth that features motifs from several years/decades of PDCI-RDA commemorative patterns? You can see that the man at the left of the photo is wearing a suit made of cloth that matches (or nearly matches) the pattern of the square near Thiam's right armpit.
posted by mskyle at 8:40 AM on February 14 [5 favorites]

Zuri is a contemporary clothing company whose garments are made in Africa. Their African textiles page has some info about the fabrics.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:57 AM on February 14 [2 favorites]