How to Care for African Print Fabrics
The rise in popularity of using African fabric in the production of clothes, bags, shoes and accessories is truly making a wave in the fashion industry. It is without a doubt a phenomenal breakthrough which showcases how vibrant and exhilarating these type of fabrics are. One thing that would make or break the continuity of such enthusiasm though is how one should take care of these fabrics.
African clothing and attires are, in general, made from fine fabrics. Popular fabrics range from 100% plain cotton, printed cotton (wax print), cotton-kente, and cotton brocade with elaborate designs woven into the fabrics. Many African outfits come with heavy embroideries, often hand crafted, which require careful handling and care.
First, Test for Colour Fastness
Dampen a piece of white cloth, place it on top of your African fabric garment and iron both until dry. If there is a bleed on the white cloth, it means you need to wash your African fabric garment separately as the colour in the wax print fabric may run.
How to African Wash Wax Print Fabrics
Most of the African clothing on our website are made from 100% cotton. Outfits made from such fabrics have a tendency to shrink depending on how it is cared for. We advise that you follow the recommended care instructions in order to get the best out of your unique African clothes. Its always best to dryclean your ankara wax garments, but if you don't have access to a drycleaner, you can wash your garments using the following steps:
- Hand wash with cold water and mild soap.
- Avoid the spin cycle
- Hang to dry
- Iron on the wrong side using the setting for cotton, or use cooler settings.
- Or better still, dryclean.
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We hope this was helpful. We'd love to know what you think. Have you ever done the colour fastness test? How have you previously washed your African fabric garments?
Let us know in the comments below.
Love,
L'AVIYE.