Hello everyone!
Since I relaunched my online store of Afroprint products, I received tons of questions on what exactly is African Print and what my business is all about. I thought I would compile some of the questions and answers in this article as I feel like it is my duty as a business owner to educate my customers on my business :)
What is Afroprint? Afroprint is the more modern name for African Print. African Prints englobe several types of fabrics from different areas in Africa. The most popular prints are currently Kente (Ghana), Ankara/ Wax (West Africa), Mud Cloth (West africa), Bazin (West Africa) and Kitenge (East africa).
What is Kente? Wax? Ankara? If you would go to my online store, the backpacks are in Kente Cloth, and everything else is in Ankara/Wax Fabric. The names Wax and Ankara are interchangeable. Ankara fabric can be recognized via the very colorful and bold patterns, and Kente is characterized by the weft designs and lengthwise threads.
Do you make all your products yourself? I do not make all the products I sell myself. Some come from vendors in Africa, America, and Europe.
Where do you get the fabric from? From African Fabric Stores in New York City. S/O to African Queen Boutique in Brooklyn.
Are you African? My dad is Congolese (DRC) and my mom is from Mali which makes me African even though I was born and raised in France and I currently reside in the USA.
Where is Wakanda? It is a fictional country, but if you ask me I’d say it is in DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) ^^
Can everyone wear African Prints? Kente colors have meanings and Kente used to only be worn by royalty, but in 2018 everyone can wear African Prints. I personally recommend owning at least one african print item :)
What made you want to sell African print products? Even with my parents being African, I did not buy/own my first piece of african print until I started being involved with Miss Congo USA pageant in 2015. To be honest, I thought it was embarrassing that i did not own anything in African Print before that. Ever since, I made it a priority to reconnect with my beautiful roots and share it with everyone. Since it is quite hard to find cool urban African Print items, I decided to make at least some available through my online store.
If you or someone you know makes/sells African Print items and is interested in selling through my online store, please let me know and I will get you/them set up. You all can always contact me via the contact form or by email if you have any questions or comments: france.makabu@outlook.com.
Live Life Fully,
France MKB