The Woven Kente
Welcome to The Woven Kente!
The Woven Kente is a unique collection of curated artisan wares and handmade handicrafts. I fashion various African textiles into contemporary wearables and accessories. As a self-taught sewist, I fell in love with the process that many West Africans have developed to weave, dye, and stain textiles. Many of the tapestries hold high cultural significance and some even depict historical events. In this practice, it’s my hope that my accessories will imbue the wearer with an element of West African heritage.
ABOUT MY PRODUCTS:
The accessories I carry weave together traditional West African fabrics with contemporary silhouettes. Currently, I’ve been working with the well-known Ghanian Ankara or wax print fabric. Ghanaian wax print is known for its vibrant colors and tribal motifs. The fabric that I use is 100% cotton and the technique used to dye the fabric stems from an Indonesian wax resistant dyeing technique named “batik.”
I also work with Mudcloth, which is traditionally a woven Malian Fabric dyed with a combination of fermented mud and plant dyes. The cotton used in the fabric is a slightly beige color and is found in Mali. The entire process of staining the fabric and allowing it to dry in the sun can take up to four days. The fabric is sometimes dyed with various adinkra symbols which are symbols that represent a variety of West African concepts.
Come with me on this journey let’s see what we discover…
