https://www.youtube.com/embed/Riwur5yRmLE
When I think of Ankara, I
think of one word, "happiness." ONYII BROWN: It's--
it's beautiful. It's beautiful. It's just a gorgeous fabric. Everybody wears it. My name is Yetunde Olukoya,
and I'm the founder and designer at Ray Darten. My name is Onyii Brown. I'm owner of Onyii & Co. My name is Alex Chapman. I'm a fashion design
professor and fashion archive curator here at Houston
Community College Central. YETUNDE OLUKOYA: Ray Darten
is an African-inspired line, and we design for
men, women, and kids. Onyii & Co. is a brand that really embodies
the Metropolitan woman. I'm definitely African-inspired. It birthed from my culture.
I'm actually was
born in Nigeria. I started in 2016 just by
sewing in my sitting room. And now, we employ over a
hundred of people in Nigeria. We have a store in California. ONYII BROWN: I never thought
that I could actually grow a business with African print. It was a dream of mine to create
beautiful clothing with things that I could really relate
to and represented me and represented a
whole bunch of women. ALEX CHAPMAN: Ankara
is ubiquitous. It's found throughout Africa. So but mainly in
Central and West Africa. Ankara fabric is also
known as African wax fabric as well as Dutch hollandaise. And it originated in Holland. And what makes it really
popular is because of the bold and fabulous prints. This product was created
between 1830 and 1850. While the merchants were going
around the continent of Africa and through the
Indian Ocean, they went and stopped by
the ports Prevalent in Ghana and Nigeria
and Cameroon. And they were there
selling these fabrics.
For this particular new
product, it was exciting. So and just remember, this
was an alternative source for batik fabric and a
more inexpensive source. But when the
merchants figured out that this was a viable market
for them to sell as well as trade, now, they start
customizing the color waves as well as the print for Ankara. The reason why
Ankara is so popular is because it is used in a
lot of traditional ceremonies. But another thing is
it's a non-verbal way to communicate in Africa,
especially for the women. I mean, it can-- it can
show your marital status, your socioeconomic background,
your religion, your tribe. So by wearing a particular color
waves or a particular print, it kind of tells
somebody without even speaking who you're all about.
I came to this country
when I was three years old. And many times, when I'd
travel back to Nigeria, I always wanted
to have, you know, Western influence in my prints. It'd be a lot of
traditional wear. ALEX CHAPMAN: I think the reason
why Onyii is very successful is she incorporates
many different types of African fabrics
in her designs, primarily Ankara,
Kitenge and Shweshwe. She does it in a way
that it's very melodic. And a lot of it is
very Western-inspired. It's colorful. It's rich. She really does a
lot of research. And not only in the fabric
but as well as the techniques that are applied to the fabrics. ONYII BROWN: This will
last for many, many years. The way it falls is so
comfortable for the wearer, but they still look so amazing.
ALEX CHAPMAN: By looking at Ray
Darten's website, first of all, I love her entire collection. She really, really uses
the Ankara very wisely. The shapes and the
cuts are very modern. And I love the idea
that they are versatile. They can unzip and morph
into something new. So you have double the
outfit for the price of one. So for me, if you're
looking at investing in a very special piece, then
Ray Darten is your designer. It's not just about
the clothes anymore, not about the clothes on the rack. It's, actually,
deeper than that. I love to meet my customers. I want to know, how
does this make you feel? Does it make you feel
powerful, confident, beautiful? We're crying. I don't know how we
get to that point. ALEX CHAPMAN: I don't look
at Ankara as being a trend. I look at Ankara as being
somewhat now the classic. Some designers use
it as design details and some use it as
the entire look.
But it's a source
of self-expression. You know, there's
a lot of meaning behind not just the color waves
but the design pattern as well. So I think there's a lot of
things in that design pattern that hits close to home for
a lot of people who wear it..
african instruments
https://howtoplaythedjembedrums.com/african-prints-the-story-behind-the-style-secretly-awesome/