geometric patterns

In colors of kelly green, maize, and charcoal, zigzags, geometric patterns, and small stripes decorate this Ghanaian shawl. Akoma of West Africa presents this scarf, which is handwoven from a rayon and cotton blend to create three strips of kente fabric that are sewn together.

Fit for royalty, this traditional shawl combines mulberry and white to create geometric patterns. Ghana's Akoma of West Africa creates this fringed shawl, which is woven by hand to form four strips of kente fabric that are sewn together. This shawl's width allows it to double as a scarf.

Woven by hand, traditional West African kente cloth becomes a colorful scarf. Rachel Armah presents a traditional design known as Fatia fata Nkrumah. The phrase means "Fatia deserves Nkrumah" in the Akan language. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was Ghana's first president and Fatia was his wife, thus this motif is named for the First Lady.

Each strip of kente cloth requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Each color has its own meanings in Asante culture. Green is fertility and new harvest, gold is royalty, black is strength, aging and spirituality, and white is purity.

Exuding a regal vibe, this traditional shawl is created by the talented artisans of Ghana's Akoma of West Africa. A variety of vibrant colors combine to create striped patterns, woven by hand from a rayon and cotton blend in the kente style. This shawl features four strips of the classic fabric that are sewn together.

The intricate texture in this handsome kente cloth shawl is inspired by beach pebbles. Designed by a fisherman around 1898, its name means "pebbles of the shore are hard to crack." The tiny blocks of pattern represent the thoughts of that ancestral craftsman. Handcrafted by the Gobah Tengey-Seddoh Family, this extraordinary double weave textile is one of the most difficult patterns to achieve. These expert weavers use traditional looms and a cotton blend.

Each strip requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Strips are generally three to four inches wide and seven to ten feet long, and the length of time it takes to complete one strip varies by the complexity of the chosen pattern. The simplest use mostly vertical, or warp patterns, and an experienced weaver can make several of those in one day. But patterns with nearly all weft (horizontal thread) patterns, where the warp design is hardly visible, can take up to four days to complete an individual strip. Each color has its own meanings in Asante culture. Green is fertility and new harvest, gold is royalty, black is strength, aging, and spirituality, while white is purity. The patterns themselves are carefully chosen symbols, which a master weaver develops and names, often to honor people, historical events, or proverbs.