Ankara

Dutch Wax

The Ankara fabric, formerly referred to as Dutch Wax from Holland, is a vibrant, eye-catching print worn in parts of Africa, namely Nigeria, Togo, Ghana and several other countries.  The fabric was originally made as a knock-off of Indonesian batik fabrics by VLISCO.  It never actually ended up really competing with the fabric it tried to be, instead it found its own market in Africa. Because the Dutch were not the colonizers of the Nigerian delta and surrounding area, it was more socially acceptable to trade with them, which allowed the fabric to catch on in the area.  It was adopted for frequent use as a clothing textile because let's face it, its pretty. 

Wax fabric is still frequently used for clothing in parts of Africa and internationally.  Not only does the VLISCO company produce it, but a wide variety of other companies in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Nigeria, Ghana, China and other textile-producing countries.

(Source)

Ankara Fashion via L.A.M.B.

Elle Varner

VLISCO's Frozen Dreams series