Should you have followed my previous posts, you now know how big the market for second hand clothes is in Ghana. However, I have also stated that a lot of people also buy fabric and have their dresses made by tailors.
Now I thought I should give you a better impression of how the fabrics look. Of course you get a huge range of varying fabrics, even from Europe or Asia, but I focused on the typical ones.

 The Batik or Tie and Dye

Okay, so let's start with something you'll find familiar: Batik. You get it in all shapes and colours. The very colourful ones like the left one in the picture can usually be found with the Rastafari, while the darker colours like the right one are frequent in the northern regions of Ghana.


Then there is also the wax batik, which is very common. You will find it everywhere in Ghana. The colours are mostly a bit more muted, but there are also more flashy versions. Often the patterns consist of traditional symbols, all having a special meaning.

Wax Print

Wax print doesn't know any limits: hundreds of different prints (geometric, abstract etc.), patterns, colours and qualities. I don't hav any statistics but I would say it's the most common one.

Kente

Kente is the King of Fabrics and the fabric of the kings, after all it was and is still worn by the chiefs and kings. It's very traditional and hand-woven.The traditional colours are green, yellow, red and sometimes blue, but nowadays you get it in every colour. It's quite expensive and is worn on special occasions, for example weddings.
Kente is said to be a heirloom of the Ashanti, but the eastern regions of Ghana also boast with a slightly different Ewe-kente.

That's it for now, I hope I could illuminate you a bit. If you have any questions or something to add, let me know :)

- Sarah