Kente Cloth - Our Afrisocks inspiration
We figured the best way to start our blog is to tell you more about the origin of our designs. Afrisocks is inspired by the Ghanaian traditional cloth - Kente. Its colours, geometric shapes, and designs are a symbol of Ghana and its culture.
Kente, is the most widely used textile in Ghana. Traditionally it was created by a hand-loom, strip by strip. The strips were then woven together to form a larger fabric. One interpretation of the word Kente is "strip weaving". Another explanation for the origin of the word "kente" is also commonly tied to the Asante phrase, "ke-ente," which means "whatever happens to it, it will not tear."
Kente was originally woven from thin raffia yarn fibers. It's origin is contested between the Ashanti and Ewe tribes in Ghana. Because it is spun on a handloom, it is colourful and has sharp geometric features. Squares, Zig-Zags, and lines. In past times kente used to be the cloth worn by royalty.
In modern times, Kente switched from being a luxury item to an every day pattern. It is now printed on fabric, and made into dresses, pants, bags, and with Afrisocks even socks.
