I love African mud cloth; I adore the colors and the designs. For those not familiar with this fabric and its characteristics, here are some samples of mud cloth from my home:
For details on the history, making, and symbolism of mud cloth click here: http://www.afrodecor.com/cgi-bin/store.pl/page=mud_cloth_meanings.htm
In my home you'll also find mud cloth place mats, oven mitts, throw pillows, etc. As a musician (particularly one who plays world percussion), wearing clothes which reflect the ethnicity of the music being performed at a gig is important. What clothes could I find that feature those mud cloth designs I love? Almost none. After an expansive search, the only mud cloth clothing I could find (with very few exceptions) came in the form of long, flowing garments that appeared to be traditional African outfits -- clothes that - well, let's just say, don't look good on just anybody. On top of that, mud cloth is hot and scratchy.
Clearly, if I wanted to wear mud cloth designs on articles of clothing that I felt comfortable in, I would have to create the clothes myself. So I did. The results are in these photos:
Models: Seth Stewart, Noel Rodriguez
In short, I've created this blog to introduce my designs to the world, and to learn more from all of you about the influence of African design on the fashion world.
This is AWESOME!!! Go Dougie! Seth and Noel you are cute models too!
ReplyDeleteNice work y'all ...ladies sizes??
Thanks, Stef! Yes, those are two handsome fellaz. I'll keep you posted on ladies' sizes, additional design, etc.
ReplyDeleteDougie, great blog!! Thanks for sharing and the shirts look great. I really appreciated the link to the page explaining about the meaning of mud cloth. I don't know how feasible, or cost effective it would be for you, but did you think about providing some sort of tag that had some of that info on it with each shirt you sold? I'm one of those people that would like to know the meaning of something I own, especially if it has one. Just a thought.-Magic
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Magic! That's a great idea about putting an informative tag on the shirt. This venture is still in its infancy, but when the time comes, that will be a great idea to implement.
ReplyDelete