2011-11-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

African Clothing for Men and Women

African clothing is the traditional clothing, often vibrantly colored, worn by the indigenous peoples of Africa. In some instances these traditional garments have been replaced by western clothing introduced by European colonialists.

In Northeastern Africa, particularly in Egypt, styles of traditional dress have been influenced by Middle Eastern culture, this can be exemplified by the simply embroidered Jellabiya which are similarly worn in the Gulf states. The Northwest Africans in contrast, were less influenced by foreign elements and remained more in antiquity. The Djellaba(worn in Northwest Africa) shares similar properties with the Grand boubou, the Dashiki, and the Senegalese kaftan although it is less stylized than the Dashiki.

In Sahelian Africa, the Dashiki, Senegalese kaftan, and the Grand boubou are worn more prominently, though not exclusively (the Bògòlanfini, for instance, is worn in Mali). The Dashiki is highly stylized and is rendered with an ornate V-shaped collar. In contrast the Grand boubou is simpler, even more so than the Djellaba, though the color designs reach impressive proportions, especially among the Tuareg, who are known for their beautifully dyed indigo robes.

In East Africa, the Kanzu is the traditional dress worn by Swahili speaking men. Women wear the Kanga and the Gomesi.

Traditional African Clothing is very colorful and made with intricate detail and workmanship. African Clothing line is made from pure cotton making it comfortable and cool. No two are exactly alike. Using a multi colored design with silver embroidery, these beautiful dresses and Dashiki shirts will be a great addition to your South African clothing collection.

The dashiki is a colorful men's garment widely worn in West Africa that covers the top half of the body. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored suits. Traditional female attire is called a caftan, or kaftan. A common form is a loose-fitting pullover garment, with an ornate V-shaped collar, and tailored and embroidered neck and sleeve lines. The informal version is a traditional print or embroidered dashiki. Three formal versions exist. The first type, consists of a dashiki, sokoto (drawstring pants), and a matching kufi. This style is called a dashiki suit or dashiki pant set and it is the attire worn by most grooms during wedding ceremonies. The second version consists of an ankle length shirt, matching kufi, and sokoto. The second style is called a robe or Senegalese kaftan. The third type, is usually only worn by Tribal chiefs, Nigerians, or Muslims, and it consists of a dashiki, and matching pants. A flowing gown is worn over these. This type is called a Grand boubou in various Francophone countries. In the English speaking world, it is called an Agbada, see the Grand boubou article for further information.There are several different styles of dashiki suits available from African clothing stores. The type of shirt included in the set determines the name. The traditional dashiki suit includes a thigh length shirt. The short sleeve, traditional style is preferred by purists. A long dashiki suit includes a shirt that is knee length or longer. However, if the shirt reaches the ankles, it is called a robe or Senegalese kaftan. Finally, the lace dashiki suit includes a shirt made of lace. A hybrid of the dashiki and caftan worn by females is a traditional male dashiki with a western skirt.

The Kaftan is a colorful women's garment widely worn in West Africa. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored ensembles. The formality of the wrapper depends on the fabric used to create it. The wrapper is called an Iro in the Yoruba language, pronounced EE-roe. The wrapper is usually worn with a matching headscarf or head tie that is called a gele in Yoruba, pronounced gae-lae.^[1] A full wrapper ensemble consists of three garments. First, a blouse, called a buba, pronounced boo-bah. Second, a wrap skirt called a wrapper in English or an iro in Yoruba. Third, a headscarf which is called a head tie in English and a gele in Yoruba. Traditional male attire is called a dashiki. A wrapper takes metres of quality fabric. White wrapper sets are worn during wedding ceremonies.The wrapper gained popularity in the West following the black pride movement of the 1960s. It is enjoying a resurgence thanks to African immigration, and the formal wrapper is frequently worn at weddings, graduations and other special occasions. In the UK and North America, a wrapper is also an older term for an informal house garment. Today, words such as housecoat and bathrobe (US) or dressing gown (UK) are usually employed instead. The wrapper is most common in Nigeria. In other countries, the kaftan, also called a boubou is the formal female attire, see National costume.

The traditional African Kaftan or Boubou as originally worn by the West African men has a female version. African traditional wear for woman has developed and passed down from ancient Egypt. Cleopatra Queen of Egypt was famous for her silk kaftans embellished with prints, embroidery, small mirrors and amulets. Today the traditional African influence in woman's wear continues with a modern touch.

Fabrics are more commercial but the styling, design, colours and symbols used in the prints are as important now as they were in ancient Africa. Bringing power, love and protection to the wearer the traditional African woman chooses her designs with a purpose

To buy the Travellers Kaftan GO HERE

AFRICAN LINEN PANT SUIT

Traditional African women's wear is popular all around the world. The casual fit of these pantsuits with their vibrant colors of Africa are comfortable and exciting to wear.

If you would like to see more of these exciting original African pant suits GO HERE

Tie Dye Kaftans

The tie dyeing technique has been used for traditional African wear for women for thousands of years. The Tauregs ( blue people of the desert) favoured using the indigo plant for dying and the method of tie dyeing spread through Africa for traditional African women's wear.  The mystical patterns, symbols and designs are worn with meaning and for fertility. This technique was probably the inspiration for hippie fashion wear and is still popular amongst the younger generation of the 21st century.   To buy Tie Dye Kaftans GO HERE

Lapa

The true African tribal Queen, this traditional  Traditional African wear for women is favoured in modern fashion wear. The fuller figure and proudly voluptuous character of the true African Queen has carried this flamboyant styling and designs through to modern times.  These African queens were thought to have magical powers such as the ability to summon rain. Originally the queen from the Lovedu tribe in South Africa was a rain queen.  To buy Lapa designs GO HERE

Royal African Queen

Royal traditional African wear for women: Modern royal queens and traditional African women's wear is more stylish yet has a unique look with the ruffled sleeves and flounced bodice this styling could have been influenced by the South African 'Voer trekkers' or white people that made their way up through Africa in ox wagons bringing with them a western influence.  The colours are traditional African women's wear  colours and are trimmed with elegant braids.  To buy Royal African Queen designs GO HERE

African Necklaces and Bracelets For Men and Women

In the old times African Necklaces and Bracelets was worn as a symbol of wealth and status but now wooden accessories are becoming stylish and trendy.
Wood is mostly associated with furniture, but with creativity, it also features in the world of fashion. There are so many fashionable items with wooden detail and that are versatile. Depending on the design, these accessories can go to office, can be worn on a casual day, and can be used to make an outfit suitable for a cock tail, dinner or any other kind of party.In all cultures, jewelry is an important aspect of fashion. It is made from a variety of materials--usually of whatever resource is deemed valuable by the culture. Jewelry can stand for many things. It can show off your wealth, protect you from evil, keep you one with the earth, or bless you with good fortune, all according to legend, of course. The jewelry of Africa shares those traits with other cultures' jewelry, but it also has a long and interesting past.

African jewelry was not worn for purely decorative purposes. Every piece of jewelry possessed some significance or legend behind it. For example, legend has it that those who wear elephant hair bracelets will be protected from illness and harm and that they will be blessed with good fortune. The bracelets have four knots, each representing an earthly force. The four earthly forces are fire, water, wind and the sun. The strands that the knots are tied upon represent the seasons. Sliding the knots along the strands is believed to generate the bond between earth and nature. This makes the wearer one with his environment. Cowrie shell and cow bone jewelry were worn to bring the wearer good fortune.

In African societies across history, the type and amount of jewelry worn represent the wealth of the wearer. Rulers and chiefs in some parts of Africa wore different beads from their subjects to distinguish themselves as the ruler or chief. Arts and jewelry making was encouraged to show that the rulers had a prosperous kingdom. In some parts of Africa, a person's wealth is measured by the amount of livestock he owns. When livestock is killed for food, every part of the animal is used. So the bones are crafted into jewelry so they can be used for something. If a person is wearing many pieces of bone jewelry, he is probably pretty wealthy.

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Nigerian Aso-Oke

African Danshiki

African Kaftan

AFRICAN LINEN PANT SUIT

Tie Dye Kaftans

Lapa

Royal African Queen

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