From an international fashion show in Las Vegas to the streets of Mombasa, the Ankara fabric has shown us what versatile is in the global fashion niche. We have seen celebrities from all works of life wear Ankara in creative ways.
Too many of this fabric designs babe become a staple for many wardrobes. For Africans, we have created a fashion niche for ourselves. Whether we want to attend a corporate event or a late night date, we pick Ankara ensembles to make our appearances.
The fabric has found its way in many fashion items from jewellery to shoes, bags to countless accessories. If we were trying to relegate this fabric to the background, the creative nature of Ankara has changed our perceptions.
Ankara has metamorphosed from the traditional outfit to a glamorous fabric when designed in many forms. The economy of West Africa has been impacted – all thanks to this fabric. There are many functional textile mills around this region producing the fabric.
The Rebound of Ankara
The growth of Ankara has improved due to its demand around the world. The fabric shows up at every event you can think of in Africa. To make the fabric more popular, it doesn’t have class discrimination. It’s affordable for everyone to purchase. However, the difference comes from the design we choose.
Ankara has experienced a rebound with more sophisticated and appealing designs manufactured. Yet, the price is on the low side. Furthermore, the availability of the fabric has created markets and businesses for the local tailors and fabric sales person. African designees have become a veritable goldmine because of the clothing they produce.
We see Ankara fashion shows hosted around the globe like the Ankara Festival in Los Angeles. Statements have been made with this fabric. The availability of the fabric makes it a ready tool to transform many clothing designs.
For a long time, many people believed that the fabric was for Africans. Once in a while, those abroad come home and pick these fabric to their base. Today, it has become a global recognized fabric. We find people in different places wear the fabric. You can find someone in a United Nations meeting rock a designer Ankara without thinking it was out of place.
Countless global designers have released new designs inspired by the Ankara fabric. From Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith, Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy, Gwen Stefani, Eley Kishimoto, Dries van Noten, and Kenzo, have used accessories created out of Ankara fabric in their collections.
Do we say that most of us in Africa don’t really appreciate the worth of Ankara fabric? We have seen Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, Fergie, and Rihanna to name a few celebrities who rock this fabric often. Ankara has finally found its feet in the world fashion niche. You may hear the media called it the African Print.
Ankara has become one of the most important fashion statements to come out of Africa. A couple of years back, most of us wouldn’t believe that Ankara would become this pensive in designs and looks.
We can proudly say that Ankara has become the king of fabrics in Africa.