How the Dashiki brought a generation of Africans and African Americans together

Before Black Panther brought young Africans on the continent and the Diaspora together, there was a fashion movement that did likewise, and helped lay the ground for the #Africarising movement that has gained great momentum in the last months.

The fashion trend: the dashiki, made from the Angelina fabric.

Between 2012 and 2016, thousands of African Americans and Africans on the continent and in the diaspora wore the dashiki to celebrate their African roots and culture.

The history of the fabric is fascinating.

According to kuwala.co, the iconic Angelina print was created by Vlisco textile designer, Toon van de Manakker, based on the design on the print of a 19th-century Ethiopian noblewoman’s tunic. It became widely popular in West Africa, especially in Nigeria, Togo, Benin and Ghana in the 1970s. Hit highlife song “Angelina” by Ghanaian artists Sweet Talks & A.B. Crentsil captured this spirit during this time.

It was until 1967 when Jason Benning coined the term “dashiki” for the fabric that it took on its modern name.  Benning began to mass produce the dashiki-style shirt with Milton Clarke, Howard Davis, and William Smith for their brand New Breed Clothing Ltd, based in Harlem, NY.

The style and print became widely embraced by African-Americans as a show of embracing their African heritage and promoting Black pride. Many wore it during Black History Month, Kwanzaa, and other Afrocentric cultural events.

The name dashiki comes from the Yoruba and Hausa words,  “danshiki” or “dan ciki”, respectively, meaning “shirt”.

The fabric’s re-explosion on the international fashion scene from 2012 to 2016 touched everyone, from the layperson to celebrities.

Dashiki prom dress

Baby in DashikiAlthough fanfare about the fabric has waned in recent years, it has become an essential part of streetwear today.

In celebration of Pan-Africanism, we salute the dashiki and its role in bringing black people across the oceans together.