It is amazing that Ankara fabric, once worn by those who cannot afford the more expensive wrapper has now become the toast of fashion designers and fashion freaks.
Its affordability, variety of colours and an easy-to-wear are among reasons the fabric is popular.
The ingenuity fashion designers bring to bear in the designing of Ankara fabric now makes it trend, and acceptable among different people. This is unlike the times past when the fabric was mainly used as a wrapper by native women and relatively poor people.
But that is now history as Ankara is no longer limited to dressmaking; they are being used for making accessories such as shoes, bags, bangles, earrings, slippers, purses, belts and rings among others.
“I have handbags with matching shoes, earrings and other accessories made of Ankara. Whenever I wear them to any occassion, people compliment me a lot, and I feel so beautiful and attractive in them”, Tomi Oluwatunji, a civil servant civil servant who is in love with Ankara, said.
For Ifunanya Ottih, a businesswoman, Ankara fabric is attractive, colourful, comes in assorted designs, and is not monotonous.
Yet many women love the fabric because its colourful and intricate designs give graceful appearance to them.
Before now, Ankara was only popular among the middle-aged and old people. That has changed as younger people also make several trendy accessories and dress in designs made from Ankara.
Of course, most youths see the trendy shoes, bags and accessories made of the Ankara fabric as becoming more elegant and comfortable for the Nigerian weather. “I am a fashion freak, and I try to get the best out of whatever fashion that is in vogue. There is a wide range of designs and colour combinations to choose from the Ankara fabric which is affordable ranging from N2,000 and above”, Ugochukwu Okpala, a young teacher, said.
The trendy Ankara fashion has not only brought innovation in the glamour world, but has provided a means of livelihood to professionals in the fashion and dressmaking business. A lot of young people are also venturing into it due to its lucrative nature.
Emeka Iweka, chief operating officer, Muma & Ices, a firm that produce bags, shoes and fashion accessories with locally sourced materials, said the business has been a profitable one over the years but has dwindled in over the last few months because there is little or no market entry barrier.
His firm produces between 18 to 20 shoes and 10 bags daily. The products made from Ankara among other locally sourced materials cost between N4, 000 and N20, 000 and are delivered them to customers anywhere in Nigeria and Accra without extra charges.
“The business is a strenuous. It costs a lot to acquire automated machines. We source the best fabrics in the local market to ensure high quality products. Besides Ankara, we make shoes and bags with Kente, Akosombo, Damask, Aso-Oke and the likes. We also incorporate leather, jeans, suede and raffia fibre in the production.
The price of wrapping a hand bag is averagely between N3,000 to N5,000. But in a situation where wrappers sell ready-made bags which they wrap, the price will be between N5000 to N8,000. To an extent, the market value of Ankara bags is affordable compared to the technicalities of making them. Nkechi Unaegbu, a Benin-based expert in Ankara wrapping, said it takes a lot of skills and mental calculation to make Ankara bags. According to her, the art is a form of craft that requires time, patience and technical know-how.
Ankara was named after Turkish people from Ankarra in Turkey who produced a cheap version of the high quality Dutch Wax. This made it affordable for those who could not afford the price of the Dutch Wax. Ankara has been widely adopted in many parts of Africa. In East Africa, the fabric is known as Kanga and in Zambia and Southern Africa, it is called Chitenge or Kitenge. Even though fashion in Nigeria and all over the world is dynamic, the Ankara fabric has been able to stand the test of time and has now come to stay. Ankara ranks among the fabrics of first choice for those who want to remain trendy and flamboyant or those who want to add colour to their wardrobes.
IJEOMA OMENI ASIEGBU
