Empire Textiles Offers 100% Cotton Gold Wax African Print Fabric

Empire Textiles is proud to offer a wide variety of West African fabrics. Wax print fabrics are industrially produced colorful cotton cloths that were first introduced to West and Central Africa by Dutch merchants in the early 19th century.[1] They were based on the native Indonesian technique of batik and Akwete designs.

Colors

African cotton print fabric is a popular fabric used in traditional clothing of West Africa. Also known as Ankara, it’s a 100% quality cotton cloth with a double-sided print and colorful designs. This beautiful fabric is a very versatile material and can be used to make any type of dress.

The colors of this fabric are very vibrant and can be matched with any style or color scheme. This fabric was originally influenced by batik, an Indonesian technique that involves using melted wax to resist the dye on certain parts of the cloth. However, the process to create African wax prints has since evolved and is now very different. Today, the coloring is done with chemical dyes and the wax layer is removed before sale.

Initially introduced to Africa in the 19th century, African wax prints quickly integrated into local culture and became very popular. This was due to their ability to comply with local preferences and demands for clothing. In fact, the patterns of these fabrics often contain a sort of non-verbal communication among African women, and certain patterns began to be associated with specific cities, buildings, sayings, or celebrations. During this time, the producer, product name, and registration number of the design was printed on the selvage of the fabric.

We receive huge shipments of this fabric a couple times a year, so stock up before it’s gone! This fabric is a high-quality, medium-weight cloth that’s easy to work with and will add an exciting pop of color to any outfit.

Patterns

Known by many names including Dutch wax print, Java wax print, and African printed fabric, this fabric is the most loved and best fabric around. It comes in different patterns that you can style to suit your own style. The patterns are also crafted with a certain degree of particularity, making the fabric more interesting and exciting. The designers also introduce new patterns every now and then to make the fabric even more appealing.

The fabric is made using a process that is similar to batik, which involves using wax-resist techniques to dye cloth. The fabric starts out as a blank piece of cotton that is then dyed with a pattern. Afterwards, the cotton is soaked and the wax is removed. This process is repeated for additional colors. The resulting patterns are then printed onto the fabric. The fabric is then sewn into clothing or accessories.

Despite its European origins, the fabric quickly became a staple in West Africa. It was used for clothing, shoes, hats, and accessories. It was even used 100% cotton gold wax african print fabric in rituals such as funerals. In fact, Africans often use clothes made of the same pattern and color as their dead relatives. This practice is called asoebi.

Besides being used for fashion, the fabric is also used as a symbol of wealth and status. Moreover, it is considered to be a lucky charm in some parts of the world.

Size

African prints are a popular fabric to create fashion, skirts, dresses, tops, long dress and other clothing. They can also be used for reupholstering furniture and other crafts. These fabrics are sold by the yard and are reversible.

All our fabrics are printed on 100% cotton. They are reversible and the print goes all the way through, so you can use them on both sides. They are made in West Africa and sold in lengths of 12 yards (11 m) as full pieces or 6 yards (5.5 m) as half pieces. The name of the fabric, its producer and the registration number of the design are printed on the selvage.

We receive huge shipments of these fabrics a couple times a year, so it is important to order your favorite designs early as they often sell out quickly. We have many different styles to 100% cotton gold wax african print fabric choose from, but the selection varies each time we get them in.

All our African prints are 100% graded cotton. Machine wash cold, non-chlorine bleach, low tumble dry and cool iron. Priced by the yard. One yard minimum order. If you are ordering more than one yard we will cut it along the fold and ship it to you in continuous lengths.

Care

When you have a gorgeous piece of African wax print fabric, you want to keep it looking as great as possible for as long as you own it. This means washing it in a specific way so that the colours don’t run. The best tip is to test the colour-fastness of your African print fabrics before putting them in the wash. This can be done by wetting a piece of white fabric, putting it over your wax print and ironing both pieces until they are dry. If any of the wax print fabric’s colours transfer onto the white cloth, this means that it is not colour fast and you should wash it separately from your other contrasting fabrics when it needs washing.

If you do decide to wash your African print fabric, it’s important to use cold water rather than hot. This will prevent the colours from running or bleeding. You should also avoid putting your African print fabrics in the dryer as they can shrink or stretch in the heat. Instead, line dry them on a sunny day by securing them to the line with pegs or clip fasteners.

You can also get your African print clothes and fabrics professionally cleaned, but make sure that the dry cleaner has experience dealing with West African prints as they can easily be ruined by inexperienced cleaning companies.