Wednesday 7 November 2012

Adire African Textiles

Adire African Textiles is a small gallery based on the first floor at Alfies where you can find an extraordinary selection of hand woven African textiles. One of the best sellers in Duncan Clarke's shop are the indigo dyed vintage cotton fabrics from various parts of West Africa.




Indigo was the foundation of numerous textile traditions throughout West Africa. For centuries before the introduction of synthetic dyes the ability to transform everyday white cotton into prized deep blue cloth was a mysterious and highly valuable skill passed on by specialist dyers from generation to generation. A century ago blue and white striped cloth was the normal attire across a vast area from Senegal to Cameroon, while numerous traditions of "shibori" type resist pattern dyeing flourished. Although today only isolated pockets of real indigo dyeing remain it is still possible to source old cloths from some remote areas. Adire African Textiles stock a large collection of vintage strip weave hand-spun cotton indigo cloths which are popular for use in interior decoration as well as appealing to indigo enthusiasts and African textile collectors. Part of the appeal of indigo is the way it fades with years of wear and this is represented in many of the cloths shown.




Here's a selection of our favourite indigo cloths:

Hand-spun cotton natural indigo dyed strip woven man's cloth from north-eastern Ivory Coast. 
 Age estimated circa 1920-40.


Hand-spun cotton natural indigo dyed strip woven man's cloth from north-eastern Ivory Coast.
Age estimated circa 1920-40

Hand-spun cotton natural indigo dyed strip woven woman's cloth from north Ghana. 
Age estimated circa 1920-40

Hand-spun cotton natural indigo dyed strip woven woman's cloth from northern Ivory Coast. 
Age estimated circa 1920-40.

Hand-spun cotton natural indigo dyed strip woven woman's cloth from the Mossi peoples of Burkina Faso. 


13-25 Church Street
NW8 8DT London 
T: 07710791497

For more information visit http://www.adireafricantextiles.com/
or read more about the Mossi Indigo Wrapper Cloths here



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