Written By Victoria Murguia
With such a broad and diverse land, the continent of Africa spans many countries which holds so many different cultures. Within the use of textiles, fashion is a way that showcased individuality from such early times. The usage of dress and fashion in Africa is varied because the continent is made up of about 54 countries and each country has its own individual and cultural backgrounds that stand differently when it comes to the choices of clothing. When it comes to the history of the continent’s fashion, much of it had to do with status, tradition and practicality; and these factors are still prevalent today. While getting into specific information on style choices, it’s important to observe the histories of ethnic groups and how they would use clothing for their religion, politics and social aspects of everyday life. An important factor that has to do with the clothing is the colors and patterns that are used. Often, color is what discerns the style of different people, and the significance to the group. For instance, the color gold can signify wealth and the color blue can represent harmony and love. With colors holding a specific significance it gives clothing pieces a certain restriction when they should be worn on a person.
Another substantial component in African fashion is the use of jewelry and body art.With the involvement of art being displayed on the body it usually includes the adornment of piercings, tattoos, and other types of body modifications. Also, in regards to body adornment many cultures use beaded jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets or even anklets, that oftentimes are used to decorate the torso and the arms. The more traditional jewelry is hand-made and sometimes seen as a commodity because of the value and the materials used. The beads and pendants are usually made up of different stones or metals like gold and silver. Because of how the jewelry was made and what it is made up of it often determines the social class of the group of people wearing it. The higher quality of the pieces were worn by chiefs and rulers. To add, some jewelry was even made from the bones of livestock, bone is one of the oldest materials used. Those who wore bone jewelry were also seen as wealthy because it held value in many communities.
When looking at the different aspects of fashion in Africa, much of it can even translate into modern fashion choices. It continues to evolve but there is still a lot of worth and significance when adhering to past cultures and traditions.
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