when we think 'african fashion', the first thing that usually comes to mind is ankara. it's everywhere and worn by every imaginable cross-section of people, at least in lagos - from the streets to runways to haute couture pieces, ankara has definitely come a long way. while we're glad to see it inspire such astounding creativity, we're also all for re-discovering other fabrics that don't get as much attention but are pretty darn fabulous as well. today, we focus on mud cloth, thrust into the spotlight (somewhat) by oscar de la renta's 'african print dress':
it's native to mali and made from "numerous applications of various plant juices/teas and mud to dye hand woven cloth"*. interestingly enough, each pattern carries a meaning and mud cloth is typically worn during special occasions. if you're interested in the history of mud cloth, you should definitely click here and here. we look forward to seeing more designers mix and match a variety of african prints in the near future because as much as we love our ankara, it really has suffered from a little too much overexposure :-) let's spread the love, people! with that said, rachel pally (queen of jersey and easy, breezy ready-to-wear pieces) pays homage to mud cloth print in her new collection, now available at shopbop:
we hope we've inspired you to step away from the ankara every once in a while :-)
xo
*source - cornell