There started my love affair with the color and stylings of these types of prints. In Africa, they would wear it everywhere - on dresses, tunics, headdresses and such. But as it left Africa and entered into more mainstream fashion, it became more subdued.
Soon, these prints were seen in fashion houses and everyday wear. But the silhoutte might be different, but the impact of that the prints created is still the same.
When Duro Olowu had a capsule collection for J.C. Penney back in 2012, I was hoping to snag a piec or two from his brightly colored, African-inspired collection. Unfortunately, though, I wasn't able to get any. I think it's because no one in the family was really into shopping at JCP, so this collection became a hard pass.
This year, Dior did an entire collection that was inspired by Africa and its textiles. There was this documentary on Maria Grazia Chiuri and how she was inspired by the wax prints in textiles. After discovering a book entitled "The Anthology of African Printed Fabrics" she took inspiration from it and gave it her own point-of-view, giving birth to this Cruise 2020 collection.
Because of that, my interest in African prints was once again piqued. But in the current quarantine set-up, I can't just go to my favorite fast fashion haunts and find something that will satisfy this interest. So, I thought, it would take months before I can go out and finally look for an African-print garment.
Or so I thought.
Enter Zalora, and this gorgeous dress!
The print - from the pattern to the color - is very African. The play on the geometric shapes and lines, coupled with the earthen colors, plus a modern "Coming to America" shape, this dress ticked all the boxes and captured everything I was looking for.
Thanks to this dress, my sister can now African!
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