West African fabrics are renowned for their ingenious, richly detailed patterns and daring use of colour. You might prefer the bright, modern designs offered by Vlisco, the subtle, low-key complexity of Getzner or Mitex Holland’s deep hues traditional and traditional designs. Whichever brand you prefer, however, you can use west African fabrics to create truly unique and striking garments. But what can you do if you want to make one of your west African garments even more amazing?

If you’re attending a wedding, gala or any other special occasion, you may wish to add a few decorative flourishes to one of your existing west African outfits. After all, you want to make sure your clothes are as special as the event where you plan on wearing them. Luckily, augmenting west African garments and optimising their beauty is easy. We’ve come up with a few simple suggestions to help you.

1. Adding lace

Lace can make a garment appear more delicate and give it a sophisticated, highly refined aesthetic. What’s more, lace looks absolutely stunning when added to West African fabrics. In fact, there are a wide variety of African laces available with incredibly subtle, intricate patterns that will complement the patterns of your main outfit perfectly. If you want to give your garments an exquisite, ethereal quality, we suggest customising them with lace.

2. Adding brocade

Like lace, west African brocade can be added to a garment to make it appear more sophisticated and luxurious. However, whereas lace gives clothing a delicate quality, brocade makes your garments appear bolder and more prominent. If you want to give your west African garments a dash of daring panache to make them more visually striking, we strongly recommend adding brocade.

3. Opting for headgear

Traditional head ties are a great way to augment any west African garment without actually altering it. They have a vibrant and beautifully grandiose appearance, meaning they can turn an everyday outfit into a stunning piece of regalia. That’s we suggest wearing traditional African headgear (along with your west African garments) to major events and special occasions.

Here at Empire Textiles, we stock a wide selection of laces, brocades and headgear, so take a look today!