Ankara? What is ankara fabric? Isn’t it the capital of Turkey? It is the capital of Turkey and it is also the name of a popular fabric worn by many Africans. So what is Ankara?

It is also a very versatile fabric and many items can be made from it such as hats, bags, earrings, blazers, and shoes to name a few. To make Ankara an even more versatile fabric, fashion brands and fabric suppliers have manufactured Ankara prints on fabrics like chiffon, silk, spandex for clothing such as kafans, iro and bubas, bathing suits, sports bars, leggings & socks. Ankara print fabrics are made through an Indonesian wax-resist dyeing technique called batik. In this technique, methods are used to “resist” the dye from reaching all the cloth, thereby creating a pattern.

The lack of divergence in color intensity helps with the determination of the (front) right and (back) wrong side of the fabric. Ankara print fabrics are usually sold per yard, 6 yards or 12 yards. Te fabric company, product and registration number is printed on the selvage of the fabric, to notify people of the quality and to protect the designs from imitators. Te wax fabric can be sorted into categories of quality due to the processes of manufacturing. Te colors comply with the local preferences of the costumers.

Wax prints can be named afer and inspired by personalities, cities, building, sayings, occasions or well-known individuals. Ankara print fabrics can be worn for regular occasions, but many people consider it a formal fabric and wear it for special occasions. Some people wear it as “Asoebi” for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, balls etc. Asoebi is a Nigerian word and means “clothes of the family”. Family members, relatives and close friends usually dress up in similar attire for a special occasion. It’s recap time! So what is Ankara?

Ankara is: Commonly known as “African prints”, “African wax prints” “Holland wax” and “Dutch wax”, 100% cotton fabric with vibrant patterns, made through a wax-resist dyeing technique called batik. Very versatile fabric, many items can be made from it such as hats, bags, earrings, blazers, and shoes to name a few Even though it is associated with the African culture, its origins are not authentically and wholly African. Dutch wax prints started out as mass-produced imitations of Indonesian batik fabric. It is also the capital of Turkey!