Ankara Gone Global

Products from Ankara

By Florence Okafor
I remember my pastor’s wife ordeal when she travelled abroad for a women’s forum where she was invited for a women’s forum as the guest speaker. In her quest to impress the women, she shopped for an expensive suit to soothe the occasion.

After delivering her speech, there was an interactive session where the women expressed their utmost disappointment towards her dressing. One of the foreign women said they had expected to see her in her usual long attractive African attire, which was one of the primary reasons why most of them attended the forum. They actually expected to see a complete African woman expressing herself to their dismay, the saw an African woman in western outfit.

African fashion has gone virile in the world that even American celebrities make styles from it. This out burst of fashion with African fabrics has   opened waves for Nigeria fashion industries such that even youngster make trendy styles with our home made ‘ankaras’.

Far and good, the African fashion is gaining more grounds as it is now used for multi-purpose designs in the fashion world. The Ankara trend now cuts across dresses, skirts, shirts, jackets, kaba and slits, print trousers and shorts, kaftan, boubous, jump suits, play suits, bikinis, hats, bangles, wrist-watches, ear rings, shoes, bags, rings and belts.

Gone are the days when corporate organisations dress African only on Fridays as corporate wear can be made from ankaras, which can be in suit style, high waist skirts and others.

Join the trend today, do not try to impress rather express yourself in the African way and come out creative.