The history of the Ghanaian fashion is still traceable to the period before colonisation. It is worthy of note that the West African country boosts of some of the best fashion in the entire region. In fact, it is in the Ashanti region in Ghana in a village known as Bonwire that the prestigious Ghanaian fabric was discovered. Kente was the most and probably still is one of the most famous of all the African textile cloths. Kente means woven cloth. It was used for beauty adornment and was the perfect choice for kings and chieftains. In modern times, the kente wear is still being used for festivals and other traditional occasions.
The Ghanaian fashion has not always been the way it is today. Kente was the original traditional wear of the Ghanaian people. It was worn on special traditional functions which is why the different colors of the Kente have different meanings even today. In fact, it is believed that the entire Subsaharan fashion owes its progress and development to Ghana. The first aspects of cloth making, though traditional was done in an Ashanti village known as Bonwire. The residents of the village were introduced to the idea of producing the Kente wear which rose to become one of the most notable African cloths. The kente cloth got its name from the term Kenten which means basket. The indigenous Ashanti people referred to the Kente cloth as Nwentoma which means a cloth that is woven. The special cloth was reserved for chiefs and kings. Today, it is still used for special occasions.
Ghanaians take a special interest in their dressing and overall grooming. This is probably why their is a lot of creativity in the fashion industry because there is always high demand for something new and fresh. Ghanaians need something cool for the wedding they plan to attend or a great outfit to impress friends on their weekend retreat. Regardless of what the motivation is, finding the right attire is an absolute must. While this may be easy today, it wasn’t as easy as it is now. Taking a look at the history and evolution of fashion in Ghana unveils these facts.
The beginning of the 20th century influenced a lot change in the fashion industry. These changes led to the expansion in production which in turn led to the spread of the Kente to many parts of the country.With increasing demand, designers sought easier ways to produce unique Kente cloth that would be affordable as opposed to the woven cloth that was reserved for the affluent because it was expensive. The current fashion industry began to form in early 2000 when imported fabric from Holland was used to make unique wear. As more people demanded for these unique products, there was increased production which made the designers even more popular that hey became celebrities.
The government embraced the growth in the industry and introduced National Friday wear as means of promoting the African wear. This increased the market base and encouraged more designers to join the industry. Over the years the industry has grown to what it is today. The action of the government is quite commendable and worthy of emulation. The government is responsible for making polices that will promote the culture and tradition of the state. The government policy will also highlight and present the people’s culture to foreigners in a formal way. Therefore giving the policy a good sense of formality and reverence.
The Ghanaian smock in one of the African traditional wears well appreciated in Ghana. The Ghanaian smock is made from the gonja cloth. The attire have been in existence for as long as the Ghanaian fashion has existed. Smocks are thick and striped cotton made fabrics. This fabric has its origin in Northern Ghana. The cotton is picked, then dyed and carefully dried. The pattern for this cloth is black/blue strips with white interchanging strips. This traditional Ghanaian African wear resembles a shirt and is often worn by men. Modernity has however seen women adopting the smock for functions as well. The Ghanaian smock is also often referred to as dansika, fugu, batakari or gonja cloth. The creativity of the African fashion is really a great pride; varying from the beautiful colour combination and quality of the material to the end product of the style intended by the designer. The African beauty is indeed beautiful!
