Customising Your West African outfit
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…
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Top 5 Craft Ideas For African Fabrics
Spare fabric doesn’t have to be left un-used, breath new life into your African fabric off-cuts with these simple projects. 1. Coin Purse
Working with wax prints in garment sewing
West African textiles are famous for their stunning and often elaborate print designs. This makes them well-suited to creating beautiful fashion pieces, but to get the most out of your…
The advantages of black-and-white African fabrics
We often praise the bright colours and vibrancy of African fabrics on this blog. However, not all our African textiles feature bright hues. Several are available in black-and-white colour schemes,…
Wearing African Fabric to Prom
There have been many stories recently from social media, showing girls and boys heading to their High School prom in traditional West African dress, sometimes with matching outfits for their…
How to Make Garments from Guipure Lace
Guipure is a particularly interesting type of lace, as it’s made in such a way that the motifs are stable and therefore can be cut quite easily. Because of this…
How to Fashion Garments from Lace Fabrics
Lace is a popular choice of fabric for a multitude of West African fashions. Whether you choose guipure, Swiss voile, brocade or organza, it’s important to understand there’s an art…
How to Wear Lace
Lace isn’t just for shawls and your grandmother’s curtains! Over the past few years beautiful, colourful laces have exploded on to the catwalk and are now worn by everyone from…
Choosing accessories to wear with your West African fabrics
Choosing the right accessories to wear with your West African fabrics is important and will make you stand out. For some tips, read here!
3 Simple Projects to Make With your West African Fabric Pieces
At Empire Textiles we have a wide range of African fabric, from bright Vlisco to chic brocade, that are perfect for creating your own clothes. But we all know that,…