You cannot successfully talk about Nigerian and African fashion without mentioning Ankara. Ankara was originally manufactured by the Dutch for the Indonesian textile market, however, the prints gained significantly more interest in West African countries because of the tribal-like patterns.
Ankara is formerly known as Dutch wax print by African Print Dutch Company and has become a major heritage of Africa. In the past, young people in Nigeria used to avoid Ankara because it was generally perceived as archaic and solely meant for our grandmothers’ waists on their way to village meetings.
In fact, the few youths who patronized Ankara then defaced the material with their poorly sewn ‘up and down’ outfits. However, in recent times, since Ankara has gone mainstream and has been wildly promoted by recent pop culture and trends even beyond Africa, we have seen the market grow remarkably. We all now wear Ankara in unconventional styles and designs.
Arranged in no particular order, here is a list of your favourite Hollywood A-Listers rocking Ankara fabrics in unconventional styles and designs.
Kim Kardashian
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
Nicki Minaj
Amber Rose
Rihanna
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