Kente Weaving - Kente Kingdom
What constitutes good quality Kente Cloth? It’s a question we ask our clients often, especially when we want to establish their concept of a job well done. For many, good quality Kente is determined by the thickness of the cloth, how tightly woven, how easily it frays or how rigid the cloth feels in texture. For others, its simply determined by how ancient the cloth design is. For example, many see black and white Kente or the traditional Edwin Asa design as quality Kente, purely because they are considered classic pieces. Others ascribe quality Kente to the ‘cloth type’ or even production process, be it printed, woven or an entirely embroidered cloth (aka Obama Kente) -woven and embroidered Kente being the more superior and therefore most quality of cloths, of course. Irrespective of what constitutes good quality Kente in ones opinion, one thing is evident to the trained eye and that, is the decline of fine workmanship so far as quality control is concerned. When comparing vintage pieces to Kente being churned out today, the quality is apparent. One wonders if the cloth will survive long enough to be handed down to the next generation - as per tradition.
Interestingly, we at Kente Kingdom have found that quality Kente is solely in the eyes of the beholder, the answer is extremely variable depending on whom you’re speaking to. When speaking to those attached to the ‘stool’, you often find references to all the aforementioned, whilst paying particular attention to traditional symbolism. From the general public, we have found the definition of quality Kente to be mostly aesthetical. Yet as a weaving cloth brand, we see things differently and perhaps naturally so. We see quality cloth before we see ‘quality Kente’ and here’s why?
Just like most traditional cloths around the world, What makes Kente ‘Kente’, are the traditional patterns, motifs and woven structures acute to its cultural and societal relevance. Since this would have no bearing on how well a cloth is woven, it is therefore safe to come to the conclusion, that the deciding factor of good quality Kente, is no different to any other traditional cloth woven elsewhere around the world. Essentially, if ‘quality’ is determined by how well a cloth is produced, the assessment of good quality Kente from a weavers perspective is universally simultaneous to any other handwoven cloth, be it Kente or not. The challenge is in the re-education of course, and that’s why at Kente Kingdom, we teach our clients to spot well made handwoven cloth as opposed to quality Kente. Because if the cloth is well woven in the first place, one will ultimately end up with good quality Kente. Whilst unpicking some of these very common misunderstandings, it is important not to simply disregard both current and historically accepted notions of what good quality Kente looks like. This includes:
Longevity in rigidness and thickness
Fade resistance
Friability (with the exception of kente stole traditionally woven with friging at the tips)
Bobbling (or the lack of)
Yet the most commonly unnoticed by the average Kente wearer, are weave streaks, thread loops and Kente which is woven thick & thin in irregular places. Unless specifically woven that way for design purposes, one should not accept Kente with such flaws as quality Kente. And in an attempt to restore what has historically been described as fine workmanship and magnificent products, we at Kente Kingdom are putting quality control at the forefront of what we do. We, are on a mission to restore Kente’s past glory so if you’re ever unsure, remember that at Kente Kingdom, our cloths are fit for royalty. Remember, to look out for uniformity within your cloth. Hint; if the thick and thin places are a result of changes in weave pattern/ structure, then it’s probably safe to say that it has been woven that way for design purposes. If not, it may well be a poorly woven piece of Kente Cloth. Over time, fade resistance, weave loops and bobbling will also expose the quality of the cloth but flaws such as weave streaks can be spotted at once. It can be spotted at point of purchase so there’s no excuse in buying poor quality Kente Cloth.
Next time you purchase a piece of handwoven Kente, watch out for these weaving faults or better still, take the stress out of it by commissioning your customised Kente cloth from your favourite Kente weaving experts right here at Kente Kingdom. Order you handwoven Kente through our cloth production and Atelier Service COMMISSIONED, or shop ready-to-wear Kente scarf stoles here.
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