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Showing posts from February, 2014

Tracing identity and ownership through batik

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In 2013, fabrics heavily influenced by West African batik - style finally took the world by storm. With the likes of Michelle Obama and Beyonce’s sister Solange Knowles readily sporting such outfits, its popularity has been growing. This celebrity endorsement has helped to propel emerging and established designers even higher into the echelons of the fashion industry and the public's consciousness. See here . The collective feeling among Afrocentrics is that finally African fabrics and designs that had seemingly only appealed to Africans, or those with some social or political connection to the continent, were finally gaining the global recognition they deserved, (see MisBeee Writes 24 September 2013 African Fabrics - Fashion or Fad ).  Anglor Wax made in Nigeria © MisBeee Writes Purists among us may balk at the changes that have accompanied the globalisation of the fabric. It is no longer confined to the traditional kaba and slit style worn by middle-aged women