Terms you may hear in regards to African fashion

We can’t all be experts at everything but I figure if you’re going to talk about something with anything remotely resembling authority then the least you can do is read up on it so you don’t sound like a total bonehead!

Having had this light-bulb moment (somewhere between my second and third glass of natural sweet red....) I realised that I had no business putting my thoughts about African fashion out there if I couldn’t actually hold a semi-intelligent conversation about it. So I set out to arm myself with some knowledge about African fashion and having found out some interesting things, I’ve decided to share my new-found knowledge with you. Fine, I’ll be honest – I’m dying to show off!!

Let’s start with the basics....the foundation garments of most African fashion (and I’m not talking about undies here!)

Wrapper: you’ve all seen this and, if you’re anything like me, spent hours wondering how it is that the ladies who wear them never have to keep tying them unlike me! Basically it’s that long piece of cloth that goes around your waist. Women in some parts of Africa tend to wear two at a time and sometimes use the upper one as a shawl. They’re also commonly used to carry babies on their mother’s back (or sister’s, or auntie’s – whoever’s available really!) It’s a great all purpose garment. Also known as a lesso or kikoy(Kenya), chitenje (Malawi) and iro (Yoruba).

Kaftan: Also spelt as caftan. This is a long dress without arms that’s usually made up of one or two panels. It’s more often roomy rather than form fitting and very comfortable. In North Africa, especially Morocco, a similar garment is known as a thobe.

Dashiki : this is possibly the most well-known garment for males. It’s a longish shirt that usually falls to mid-thigh and has some form of embroidery around the arms, base and neck area. Guys wear it with any kind of trousers and women wear their boyfriend’s as a nightdress (okay, I made that last part up just to see if you’re paying attention!)

I’m sure there’s loads more and as I expand my knowledge base I’ll show it off....I mean share it, with you!

In fact, why don’t you share what you know with me? What basic garments do you know, what are they called and where are they from?