The African prints have made their mark in the fashion industry for decades. However, very few people are aware of the incredible story behind the prints and how they have transformed the lives of many Africans. This article explores the story of the ‘Mama Benzes,’ a group of West African women who became millionaires by trading in the vibrant and unique African prints. From humble beginnings to global recognition, this is a tale of entrepreneurship, creativity, and the enduring spirit of African fashion.
The multicultural neighborhood of Lavapies in Madrid is home to several African clothing stores with strikingly colorful garments displayed in their windows. These items are often made from wax fabrics, a famous West African fabric that weaves traditions and cultures into a history spanning three continents, according to Laura de la Carrera, a historian and expert in African textiles. “In Africa, clothing says a lot about a person,” de la Carrera explains, adding that African clothes tend to have a wider and stiffer shape. “Africans like clothes with a lot of fabric because it gives them poise.” Wax fabrics are one of West Africa’s most popular fabrics and are dyed in vibrant reds, yellows, blues, and pinks, with bold prints.
What is Wax Fabric?
Wax fabrics are fabrics that are made by an Indonesian dyeing technique called batik. It is a laborious process in which the design is drawn first and then a layer of wax is painted on top of it. This wax layer is called “resist wax” because it resists the application of the dye there. When the fabric is dipped into the dye, the wax-covered part is reserved. These steps are repeated until the entire fabric is dyed. The original batik fabrics had imperfections that Indonesians did not like, such as the cracks in the fabric caused by the treatment of the fabrics after applying the wax. These imperfections attracted Africans to the cloth, according to Laura de la Carrera.
The History of Wax Fabric
During the early 19th century, the Dutch and other European settlers in the Dutch East Indies became interested in batik fabrics. In the midst of the industrial revolution, Europeans saw an opportunity to develop such fabrics on a massive scale. The Dutch invented a machine that could print layers of resist wax. Using it, they could produce a higher quality of imitation batik, competing with the most prominent fabric producing countries such as the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. P.F. Vlissingen & Co. was one of the first manufacturers to make these fabrics and export them to Indonesia, later becoming known as Vlisco, a brand that still dominates the market in West Africa today and is considered the pioneer of Dutch wax fabrics. Indeed, Vlisco invented many of the classic designs that are still among the most popular ones today. The triumph of Dutch wax fabrics in the Dutch East Indies was short-lived, with growing competition and a growing rejection of these European batiks meaning that demand had all but disappeared by the end of the 1960s.
In 1873, the United Kingdom established the Gold Coast colony (now Ghana), and under British rule, the region became an important trading post. The economy prospered, and a demand for luxury fabrics emerged. A new market opportunity opened up for Dutch wax fabrics. Africans loved these fabrics, according to Laura de la Carrera, adding that they were attracted to the cloth because of the imperfections, which Indonesians did not like. The treatment of the fabrics after applying the wax caused the wax to crack as it dried. Subsequently, the dye entered the cracks, leaving a crackled effect on the prints.
Women played an essential role in the development of these fabrics as a symbol of African identity and culture. These women were the most active ones in Africa’s markets and went to the ports where the Dutch were arriving. They used different methods to market and sell the fabrics, depending on the design, the colors, messages of proverbs, and political, religious, and social messages that often could not be said openly.
The Nana Benzes
The Nana Benzes, named after the luxury cars they were able to afford, play a significant role in the history of wax fabrics. When domestic production had boomed in the 1960s, a period when several African states gained their independence, Togolese businesswomen known as Mama Benzes began importing these fabrics from Ghana and proposed selling them to import/export firms in Togo at a time when relations between the president, Kwame Nkrumah, and his Togolese counterpart, Sylvanus Olympio, had worsened. They became wholesalers of wax fabrics, buying and reselling these fabrics in large quantities to retailers in Togo. According to Edith Mbella, a specialist in African art and textiles, between 1976 and 1984, these women represented 40% of the informal commercial sector in Togo.
Reflections on Wax Fabric
Some people do not want to recognize these fabrics as part of African tradition because their arrival is intimately tied to colonialism. Cameroonian designer Imane Ayissi refuses to include them in his collections because they are colonial fabrics, recently introduced in African societies, which have almost erased other traditional African fabrics that were linked to African cultures and rituals. Edith Mbella, who is of Cameroonian origins, however, does not the same way. She believes that wax fabrics are an appropriation of something that comes from another culture, but they represent an image with which African women can identify.
In conclusion, wax fabrics are an emblematic West African fabric with a history spanning three continents. This popular fabric weaves traditions and cultures and speaks of a person’s ethnicity, culture, tradition, and country. African clothing tends to have a wider and stiffer shape, giving the wearer poise. Despite their intimate ties to colonialism, these fabrics continue to be a symbol of African identity and culture.
