What is the most gorgeous African kente style you have ever seen? Hold your response until you have seen the trendy kente styles we have rounded up for you. You might just adopt one of them as your new favorite kente style for ladies.
African ladies are careful about what they wear especially when it’s a special event. Fortunately, kente is the clothing for royals, special people, and occasions such as weddings and traditional engagements.
Kente is one of the most popular African wear out there. Over the past 4 centuries, the kente cloth has grown in significance, beauty, and relevance to Ghanaians. And, for that matter, black people everywhere in the world.
How Kente is Made
Kente is made through a process called strip weaving. The process involves the use of a wooden loom and an experienced weaver of a kente designer. The craft of weaving has often been passed down through generations. The cloth has been the specialty of 2 Ghanaian ethnic groups called the Asantes and Ewe. These two groups use very similar processes to make the beautiful and alluring kente materials the world adorns in splendor.
The age-old traditional wear which was once restricted to the Asante king and members of his court has adapted to modern times. The trendiness of kente shows that indeed, African culture is beautiful and united.
Trends of Kente Styles
When you think about it, culture, traditions, and social norms hardly die. They rather evolve and become something the present generational can benefit from. And a typical example is kente. It’s common to see kente in wedding receptions, traditional engagement ceremonies, church services, national events, and more.
The fact that kente styles are still enjoyed by ladies shows that the trends are in favor of tradition. 2020 witnessed a few weddings. However, 2021 experienced an unprecedented number of weddings, most of the couples adorning beautiful African kente styles.
The trends show that bright, saturated, and attractive colored kente designs are the most trending. The love of such kente styles is massive with ladies taking birthday photos in nicely sewn Kaba and slit, kente gowns for weddings, and nice tops as “Friday wear” at the workplace.
Top Trending Feature of Kente
1. Bright Nice Kente Colors
Kente styles and designs are undisputedly very beautiful. The bright colors, creative patterns, and significance make kente a different kind of fashion element. Colors hold a certain meaning and significance in Ghanaian culture which is transferred to kente designs.
Depending on the design, a particular kente design should be worn to certain types of events. It isnt right to wear black to a joyful occasion. This is especially true when the design is made entirely with black. However, white is associated with joy, purity, and cleansing. It’s therefore common for white to be worn to naming ceremonies and weddings.
There are lots of colors used in kente, each with a certain meaning.
Blue: peacefulness, harmony, and love
Gold: royalty, wealth, high status, glory, spiritual purity
Pink: assoc. with the female essence of life; a mild, gentle aspect of red
Purple: assoc. with feminine aspects of life; usually worn by women
Red: political and spiritual moods; bloodshed; sacrificial rites and death.
Silver: serenity, purity, joy; associated with the moon
White: purification, sanctification rites, and festive occasions
Yellow: preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility, beauty
2. Kaba and Slit Kente Styles
Kaba and Slit is a popular style among women in Ghana. The style can be sewn with Kente as well as African print cloths.
Kaba is a part of the style as much as the slit is. Kaba is simply the top of the dress while slit is the down. Kaba is sewn to end just below the waist while the clit starts at the wait. Slits are usually long and extend to the ankle.
Kaba and slit kente styles are some of the most trending kente styles.
3. African Print Kente
Even though kente is traditionally a sewn piece of cloth, African print kente has become a thing. The textile industry makes kente designs with the African prints that they already make very well. The design patterns are always some kente design which adds the “Kente-ness”. The African print kente cloths are some of the brightest colored kente designs you can find out there.
Top Trending African Kente Styles for Ladies
Bright Nice Kente Colors
Kaba and Slit Kente Styles
African Print Kente
[5 Images of African Print Kente Designs]
Why Wear Kente
1. Kente is Clothing for Royals – Kente is widely recognized in Africa and beyond. Its worldwide recognition starts from when it was first invented. Kente was ascribed as royal clothing for the Ashanti king and his court.
2. Kente is the Best African Wear Out There – Kente is the most popular piece of African clothing out there. It has been used by kings, presidents, US legislators, worn by millions of black people worldwide for graduation and so much more. The kente cloth has gained a reputation for being a symbol, a beautiful piece of clothing, and probably the best piece of clothing for cultural and traditional events.
3. It’s More Than a Piece of Clothing – If you have been following world news, you would know that kente is more than just a cloth. It is used by African Americans as a way to reconnect with their ancestry and heritage. It has been used by world leaders and presidents to express their solidarity with Africans. A Kente design cloth is currently displayed in the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Kente was made national cloth for Ghana and is prominently used in National events such as independence day celebrations. The parliamentary cloth for the speaker and others has features of kente. All these major uses of kente have given kente a much more significance than just being a cloth.
4. Kente Has a Rich History – The history of kente is based on folklore. Legend has it that two hunters learned to weave kente designs from Ananse, the spider. They would later show their invention to their chief who is much delighted with what they have done. He takes them to see the King who adopts the cloth as a royal clothing. This was over 400 years ago. In modern times, kente is still used as a special cloth for special and important events. Just as it was used when it was invented.
5. It’s Reserved for Special Occasions – Kente was not used for any event that came by. It was reserved for special events which happened once a year or even decades. For instance, the enskinment of a new king took decades. Kente was also passed down as a family heirloom. Festivals and weddings were also events that one could wear kente to. In present times, it’s much more common to see kente. However, much of the restrictions to the use of kente are still in play. As kente is still used for very important events such as weddings, traditional engagements, festivals, and national events.
Conclusion
African ladies love kente. Kente makes them look beautiful, gorgeous as they bask in their culture and tradition. These African kente styles for ladies are some of the best ever designed. As fashion designers create more styles, the future is as bright as the kente colors.
