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The textile traditions we draw from

Our African-inspired prints aren't a generic "ethnic" aesthetic. They draw on specific West African textile traditions, each with their own history, makers, and meanings. This page is a short walkthrough of the three we work with most: mud cloth from Mali, Kente cloth from Ghana, and Adinkra symbols from the Akan tradition.

If you'd like to learn more outside of Living Ahava, we link to scholarly and community resources at the end of the page.

Mud cloth — Bògòlanfini

Mud cloth, properly called bògòlanfini (literally "mud cloth" in Bambara), is a traditional fabric of the Bambara people of Mali. Its distinctive black-and-cream geometric patterns are produced through a multi-step process involving fermented mud, plant dyes, and hand-painted designs applied across many days.

The traditional process:

  1. Cotton is woven into narrow strips (about 6 inches wide) on small hand looms, usually by men.
  2. The strips are sewn together to form larger cloth pieces.
  3. The cloth is soaked in a yellow plant-based dye (typically from the n'galama tree) which acts as a mordant.
  4. Designs are then painted onto the cloth using fermented mud collected from local rivers. The mud reacts with the mordant to produce the deep black patterns.
  5. The yellow background is then bleached out using caustic soda, leaving the iconic cream-and-black contrast.

Each pattern carries meaning — some are general symbols, others are specific to social roles, life events, or family lineages. Historically, mud cloth was worn for ceremonies, hunting, and to mark significant life transitions.

Our mud cloth pieces fall into two categories. The premium accessories (the fanny packs and tote bag panels) use authentic Malian-produced cloth, purchased through fair-trade partners working with Bamako-based weavers. The apparel pieces use screen-printed designs inspired by traditional patterns. We mark which is which on each product page.

Kente cloth

Kente cloth is a traditional handwoven fabric of the Akan peoples (primarily the Asante and Ewe) of Ghana. The earliest known Kente weaving traditions date to the 17th century or earlier, with the Asante kingdom developing the most elaborate ceremonial use.

Kente is woven on narrow horizontal looms, similar to the mud cloth process, with the resulting narrow strips then sewn together to form larger pieces. The colours used carry specific meanings:

Specific patterns are named, and some are traditionally reserved for chiefs, royalty, or specific ceremonial occasions. The colourful "Kente strip" pattern that's become recognisable in diaspora communities is one specific style; there are many others.

Our Kente-inspired pieces use screen-printed pattern blocks rather than authentic woven Kente cloth. We do this because authentic Kente is genuinely valuable (wearable as a ceremonial piece, not as everyday fashion) and we'd rather not have our pieces compete with that market. Our Kente-inspired pieces use the visual vocabulary in an everyday-wear context with clear labelling.

Adinkra symbols

Adinkra is a system of symbolic graphic motifs originating with the Akan peoples of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. The symbols are traditionally stamped onto cloth, but they appear today across many media (including jewelry, wall art, and tattoo design) both within and outside of Ghana.

Each Adinkra symbol carries a specific meaning, usually a proverb or philosophical concept. Common ones include:

We use Adinkra symbols across our jewelry line and on apparel. Where we use a single Adinkra symbol on a piece, we typically include its meaning printed or engraved alongside — both as a teaching tool and as a way of treating the symbol with the weight it deserves rather than as pure decoration.

What we don't do

Three principles we apply throughout:

Resources for going further

If you'd like to learn more about West African textile traditions outside of Living Ahava:

Questions?

If you're not sure about a particular piece — what tradition it draws from, whether a design is appropriate for a specific context, or how to learn more about a symbol you've seen — email [email protected]. We're happy to talk it through.