Traditional weddings: how to pick your kente cloth design for maximum impact — KENTE KINGDOM

With many colours and designs to choose from, how do you pick the right Kente Cloth for your wedding garment, or style of choice?

Trawling through the likes of BellaNaija, Asoebibella, Pinterest and other social media pages can make it difficult to pick the right style for your custom made Kente Cloth. Spoilt for choice, overwhelmed and sometimes outright daunting, you know full well, that making the wrong decision will have you on the latest edition of what I ordered versus what I got - so what do you do? We know that not all cloth types work well with all fashion designs spotted online. More often than not, many do not understand what goes into the look and feel of their chosen garment design which is pre-determined by the process of cloth construction. The use of yarn in the making of cloth and its impact on fabric behaviour, usability, and garment design as a whole, is something seldom talked about. So today, the team at Kente Kingdom will talk you through cloth production, kente design, function and the processes to consider so you can commission the right Kente for maximum style impact, and minimal stress.

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Cloth house - picking a reliable and trust worthy Kente cloth house like Kente Kingdom is the first and most important decision you’ll make to avoid stress and disappointment. If you’re going for a traditional look on your big day, the focus should be on the cloth so don’t compromise on quality and design. Pick a cloth house that can deliver but most importantly, have a budget that matches your expectations to avoid disappointment.
Cloth design and specification - If the emphasis is on cultural display, it’s imperative to choose a design that explores traditional, cultural and historical elements within your custom made cloth. For many, the traditional engagement or African wedding ceremony is the perfect opportunity to showcase their proud heritage and cultural display so don’t just pick any Kente design. Think about your roots, your family lineage or the story behind your union, and how this can be incorporated in to your custom made cloth. If that’s your thing, our consultation service will give you the opportunity to design and commission a cloth that’s truly unique, meaningful and sentimental to you and your spouse-to-be. We’ll walk you through colours, patterns, symbolism and cultural representation so you can explore hidden messaging within your cloth because at Kente Kingdom, we believe only in doing so, can you truly select a cloth that’s impactful and fit for purpose for your big day. If you wish to wear your custom made Kente as a traditional cloth garment, then allow the cloth to do the talking and go for a bold, colourful and vibrant cloth, full of patterns and design. However if the focus is on the ‘garment style’, you may wish to opt for a plainly woven Kente cloth or a combination set, so you can adorn with embellishments of beads, sequence or embroidery for extra style impact. If you add embellishments to patterned cloth, the Kente designs and traditional symbolisms are often lost so pick your focal point and drip in confidence.
Yarn selection and weave structure - It’s important to understand that the yarns [threads] used in the construction of your kente cloth pre-determines the fibre behaviour, fabric use and functionality where garment style is concerned. The characteristics of the fabric be it soft, silky, floppy, or a more rigid and structure fabric, is directly related to the choice of yarns used during the cloth construction process alongside your chosen weave structure or kente design. It is therefore important to select a garment style suitable for your cloth type which is based on cloth behaviour, feel and texture. If you have chosen to sew your Kente Cloth into a fabulous piece of illustrative art such as kaba and slit, or as a dress for example, then handwoven Kente is a the perfect choice where corsetry is involved. This is due to its ridgid and structured nature because the firmness of the fabric makes it a great choice when creating wearable art where firmness in the garment is required. If you simply want to manipulate the cloth in a way that holds firmly in reflection of your garment style, then handwoven Kente is also a great choice. However if you opt for a long and flowing style, you may need to pair your handwoven Kente with a softer fabric for suitability and maximum impact.
Creative process - No matter which cloth house you go with, alway opt for a consultation service if it’s available. When pre-ordering your custom-made Kente for your traditional engagement or African wedding, we offer an optional consultation service in order to aid our clients in their cloth selection and design processes. At Kente Kingdom, we believe you should treat the acquisition of your custom made wedding cloth with as much value as you would when buying your white wedding dress or suit. Just like dress fitting appointments, its also important to be in regular contact with your cloth house so you can exhaust all creative avenues before production begins. This is the only way to ensure you have chosen a design suitable for end use and function. Most importantly, place your orders nice and early, be involved in the creative process and don’t be afraid to ask questions because when you understand your cloth or hidden meaning behind your design, this can influence your styling decisions too. You may decide to wear your Kente in a traditional toga-like manner without cutting it so you can preserve it in its original state, and pass it down to the next generation [for example]. Optionally, you may choose to commission a Kente combination set so you can explore the latest fashion trends in vogue. Lastly, honour your scheduled design meetings and appointments to ensure your vision is accurately executed and brought to life.

Functionality and end use - have an idea of your cloth functionality and end use. One should have a vague idea of what you want to do with the cloth wether you want to style it traditionally, or sew it into an illustrative piece of fashionable art. Depending on what you want to do with the cloth, the choice of yarns used during the production process will decide if the cloth structure, texture and functionality is suitable for your chosen wedding garment. Be it plain, sequenced, beaded or embroidered, the ‘effectiveness’ of your final wedding garment is highly hinged upon the suitability of the cloth in the first place. Make sure you select a cloth and design that works for your style to avoid disappointment And to aid you in your decision making, here are Kente Kingdom’s top style picks this 2022. But first, order your handwoven wedding Kente here