African wax prints, also known as Ankara and Dutch wax prints, are extremely popular materials for clothing in Africa, Particularly West Africa. They are industrially produced colorful cotton fabrics with batik-inspired printing. The colour saturation on the front and back of the fabric shows little difference, making it one of the noticeable characteristics of this fabric.

Wax prints are a type of nonverbal communication among African women, and thereby carry their messages out into the world. Some wax prints are named after personalities, cities, buildings, sayings, or occasions. The producer, name of the product, and registration number of the design is printed on the selvedge, thus protecting the design and attesting to the quality of the fabric. Wax fabrics constitute capital goods for African women, and are therefore often retained based on their perceived market value. These fabrics are not only bight and bold, they are also hard-wearing and will keep the wearer cool, hence their popularity. The weight of the cotton gives it a real structure, which allows for garments to be either detailed and fitted or loose and airy.

I love the boldness of the colours and the way that the patterns overlap. Many of the designs have their origins in the traditions and culture from where they come and they look like they tell stories. Another thing that I like about them is how easily they are identified – you can look at them and instantly see which design area they belong to. Some of the designs are really quirky, featuring imagery from 1930s microphones, to the Chrysler Building, from birds and flowers to handshakes and handbags…pretty much anything goes. For me, this is what makes them so identifiable and original.

They are highly sought after and are now appearing regularly in western design, both for interiors and fashion., with designers often travelling to Africa to deal with the artisan makers of these fabulous fabrics themselves. I find them bright, cheerful, crazy, unique and so interesting. It is lovely to see something that started life as a traditional, niche craft, become more mainstream and adopted for use in the modern world.