Wax prints are known as colorful and expressive printed designs on cloths. They are typically done on cotton fabric using wax and dye because that’s how it was done when it is said to have originated back in the 1800’s. They usually resemble and symbolized a message and are based in Indonesian Batik designs that represented meaningful messages. According to what was said in the Beyond Victoriana website, that the print is, “…commonly known as “African fabric” goes by a multitude of names: Dutch wax print, Real English Wax, Veritable Java Print, Guaranteed Dutch Java, Veritable Dutch Hollandais.” However, the prints that people always associated as African are actually not originated from there. Many people believed and still believe that wax print has always been from Africa. That’s not the case because these fabrics are from Europe and eventually they became embraced by the African countries. This is why people always assume and called them as “African Wax Prints”, “African Wax Design”, or just “Tribal”. The prints are considered Indonesian because that’s where it has said to have all started. Nowadays, we know the prints as Ankara, but it used to be called Batik. Usually, this word is still used depending the occasion and that is because that was the original word used for it. Batik, a printed design on a cloth, was used with a special tool to make etches and it had to have hot wax to create the pattern or design. The designs ended up making their way to Africa by the European mills that stopped by on their way to their destination, which was Indonesia, and they would start selling their fabric in the West African ports. Selling the prints were not the only thing they did on their rest stop. They also went to refuel and buy supplies. However, due to the popularity, the fabrics were started to cater more and more to the African preferences. Like in many marketing aspects and situations, the prints started to become unpopular in Indonesia due to the the prints having, according to Mazuri Designs, “… a particular “crackle” effect from dye bleed which cheapened the look to the Javanese who preferred their handmade products.” At this point, it didn’t matter to the West Africans because they liked the designs and perfectly took the fabrics. It really is all about the demographic and what works best for the business owner and the best decision for those prints is that they still ended up with a consumer for their prints to be sold to. Besides the above explanation, there is another suggestion as to how the wax prints came to Africa. The story is that the West African were binding soldiers for the Dutch in Indonesia. It is said that they brought back Indonesian batik with them as gifts for their families and there started to be interest for the prints. Unfortunately, the imitation Dutch wax print was the only thing at their distance. Regardless of how the prints were first introduced it is safe to say that the prints have a lot to do with Indonesia and they created a new market for tradition prints. Also, it is safe to say that the prints do have a lot of significance because they show communication through the prints and by how they are designed. In the earlier times, when it was sold in artistic form, the owner of the design fabric would create a background and story to the print. They wanted it to echo with the customer’s wants and needs. Shown below is an example of the African prints and the designs they had.
Although the wax print did not originate from the West Africa part, because of the Dutch Wax print integration, they are considered authentically African because of the significance. This has nothing to due with the fact that they were produced and designed by Europeans in Europe. They also had no input from any African regarding the design or motifs. In this day in age, the customer creates their own meaning to the designs and how they want it to be. There are even designs and motifs with catchy names and they are popular and have had a lot of success. Good things always seem to have a come back and the wax print has done it like that. Although the prints have obviously evolved and evolved over time and of course most things do that. Well, the wax prints now have done that and many different things are included. Some things in this list include pop culture and art references such as books and geometric patterns. However, there has been some couture transformations to them. According to Young, “Recently, there have been a number of design houses—both local and abroad—that have incor- porated “African” prints and motifs into their fashion lines. The inspiration of Dutch wax print designs has been noted in the collections of Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Burberry, and Diane von Furstenberg, to name a few.” (322) The print is back in a strong way because these designers know that the consumers will like this and ultimately it is bringing back a traditional piece while still keeping up with the current times. There still continues to be a big amount of prestige for the Dutch wax and it could be due to how unique they were when first being brought over to the West Africa. The way I choose to do the assignment was to get a piece of white cotton fabric like they use. After, I got fabric ink in the colors red, black, blue, and yellow. What I did was make homemade stencils for the designs I wanted to put on the piece of fabric. What I did was lay out a thin layer of ink, grab the stencil, dip in the ink and press on the cloth. I did this repeatedly until I had covered up the entire cloth. I let it air dry for 24 hours and cut into 20 pieces.
Works Cited
Beyond Victoriana. April 10th 2011. https://beyondvictoriana.com/2011/04/10/african-fabrics-the-history-of-dutch-wax-prints-guest-blog-by-eccentric-yoruba/. Accessed 8 October 2016.
Mazuri Designs. February 4th 2016. http://mazuridesigns.com/blog/2016/2/4/a-history-of-african-wax-prints. Accessed 8 October 2016.
Young, Paulette. “Ghanaian Woman and Dutch Wax Prints: The Counter-appropriation of the Foreign and the Local Creating a New Visual Voice of Creative Expression.” Journal of Asian and African Studies, 51.3 (2016): 305-327.
Art 2130 