Stylogenyin the style of African Wax & Fancy Print

Traditions & vernacular · 1880–present · Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe

African Wax & Fancy Print

Also known as Ankara, Dutch wax, Real wax, Wax Hollandais, Fancy print, Commemorative cloth, Kitenge

Industrially printed cotton made for West and Central African markets, first by Dutch and British mills that imitated Javanese batik with resin resist, and later by African mills. Giant emblematic motifs, an indigo key with offset colours and crackle veining repeat across the cloth, and traders name designs after proverbs and events. Cheaper one-sided fancy prints turn the cloth into commemorative media with portraits, emblems and slogans.

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A sample layout drawn from the style’s design choices, until its AI image is made.

Use it with care

Wax print is shared popular culture, but its designs carry names and messages given by African traders and wearers, and commemorative cloths carry political and religious portraits. Learn a design's name and meaning before reusing it, do not use commemorative portraits or party emblems out of context, and credit African designers, mills and traders rather than presenting a European brand or a generic 'African print' as the source.

01

How it works

  • Print a dark key image, usually indigo, by resin resist on both faces of the cloth, then add one or two colours by machine and let them sit slightly off register.
  • Keep the crackle: let the resist break so fine dark veins run through light areas as a sign of genuine wax.
  • Enlarge emblematic objects (birds, cages, ripples, handbags, letters) far beyond life size and repeat them in bold repeats across the whole length.
  • Leave the meaning open for the market, so traders can name a print after a proverb, personality or event.
  • For commemorative fancy cloth, centre portrait medallions, flags, emblems, dates and slogans in ribbon banners on a repeating field.
  • Print the brand, design name and registration number on the selvedge.

Dutch (Haarlem, Helmond) and British (Manchester) mills making resin-resist imitation batik for West African markets; later Ghanaian, Ivorian and Nigerian mills, with designs named by traders in markets such as Lomé and Accra

02

Its design choices

From Stylogeny’s vocabulary of design choices: defining choices make the style, characteristic ones are usual, occasional ones turn up now and then.

Layout & composition
Space & hierarchy
Typography
Colour
Form & shape
Surface & texture
Ornament
Imagery
Medium & production
Tone & intent
Avoids
Generous white space, Ornament-free, Pen, brush & ink, Rational & objective, Calm & contemplative, Gloss & highlights

Palette

  • #1d2f6f
  • #c1272d
  • #f2b705
  • #1b7f4a
  • #f3ead6
  • #141414

Typefaces

  • Selvedge captions

    brand, 'Véritable Wax Hollandais' guarantee, design and registration numbers

  • Bold capitals in ribbon banners for slogans and dates on commemorative fancy cloth

Known for

  • J. B. T. Prévinaire's resin-resist printing machine

    Haarlem, 1854

  • Vlisco

    Helmond, from 1846; 'Véritable Wax Hollandais'

  • ABC Wax (Manchester) and Akosombo Textiles Ltd

    Ghana

  • GTP (Ghana Textile Printing) and Uniwax

    Côte d'Ivoire

  • 'Si tu sors, je sors'

    trader-named Vlisco design

  • Fancy! Commemorative Cloths in Africa, musée du quai Branly

    2023–24

  • Yinka Shonibare

    Dutch wax as artistic material

03

Make something in this style

Say what you need, and Stylogeny’s image studio draws it from African Wax & Fancy Print’s design choices and checks it against them. It takes about a minute, and you get a link to share.

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04

Where it comes from, and what it’s close to

Before it

The style it grew out of, and the styles it borrowed from.

This styleAfrican Wax & Fancy Print1880–present · Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe

After it

The styles that grew out of it.

No later style in the atlas grew out of it yet.

Alike in its design choices

Styles that make many of the same choices, related or not, besides those above.

05

Real works

Artefacts in museums, libraries and archives that show the style, linked at their source.

06

Sources

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_wax_prints
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlisco
  3. https://m.quaibranly.fr/en/exhibitions-and-events/at-the-museum/exhibitions/event-details/e/fancy (Fancy! Commemorative Cloths in Africa, 2023–24)

How Stylogeny researches and checks a style: where the facts come from.