Introducing Adire, The Other African Print | by Busayo Olupona | THOSE PEOPLE | Medium
One of several odd outcomes of the African colonial experience was the introduction and wholesale embrace of Dutch wax print by African people, primarily in West Africa. If you are wondering what Dutch wax print looks like, just peek at any African “inspired” fashion spread and there it is. What is fascinating about these prints is that they are not African at all. A bit of a history lesson: When the Dutch occupied Indonesia, they discovered a rich tradition of dying fabric known as Ikat. Invariably, the Dutch poached the design of these colorful fabrics and manufactured the textiles, creating their own machine-made versions of the Ikat print with the intention of giving the locally dyed fabric some competition. Unfortunately, the Indonesians did not go for it. The Africans, on the other hand, went crazy for the stuff. Somehow in the trade route, although the stories are disputed, these textiles ended up in West Africa and women in particular went nuts for these colorful prints. The re