Afrikana Delight

“African wax prints” were originally adopted by the Dutch from batik designs produced by Indonesians around the 19th century and elaborately patterned to bear some similarities to the prints noticed on runways today: bold, intricate motifs set against backgrounds of varying hues. The name ‘Afrikana Delight’ is attributed to the interest in Indonesian batiks brought home as family gifts by West Africans soldiers who served for the Dutch in Indonesia between 1810 and 1862. As demand for the fabrics grew, the Dutch wax prints were the closest imitation available and became the replacement loved and appreciated by Africans. The first Afrikana Delight design concept debuted in the form of pencil skirts at Africa Fashion Week New York in 2010. It launched in two versions as a mid-thigh pencil skirt, one with a wide African print band at the bottom and the other with African print on top. Following strong positive feedback on the pencil skirts from the showcase, we aimed to mass-produce. The development process was challenging but rewarding; the transition of the skirt from the original design to what it is today, ranged from revising the sketch, making a new pattern, sample sizing, skirt length and other details such as deciding on the location of the slit and zipper, color, fabric and print placement. Launched as part of our Kingdom Come collection in 2012, the Afrikana Delight line features our use of various “wax print” fabrics as waistbands for pencil skirts and around the collar and sleeves of chic blouses.