HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND COUNTERFEIT AFRICAN WAX PRINT FABRIC

HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND COUNTERFEIT AFRICAN WAX PRINT FABRIC

African wax print fabric (commonly known as ‘kitenge’ in East Africa and ‘ankara’ in West Africa) stands out amongst the rest due to its brightly coloured patterns, interesting designs, and hidden meanings.
The beautiful fabrics are largely associated with African culture because of their tribal patterns, symbols, and motifs.Kitenge fabric is well-loved worldwide because the bright colours help to make people feel instantly happier and uplifted.
It is fun to wear these cheerful fabrics just as they are or when transformed into traditional and modern African print clothing.
SHOP AUTHENTIC AFRICAN WAX PRINT FABRIC
African Summer Dress | African Clothing Online UK | Shop CUMO London – CUMO LONDON

African Print Flare Midi Dress - Jamilah

AFRICAN PRINT FABRIC PRODUCTION

The process of making authentic African print fabric is highly respected as a craft and a labour-intensive art form.There are many different steps in production. First of all, raw cotton yarns are spun into woven grey cloth, before being bleached white and stretched to the right width (usually approximately 46 inches).
African Wax Print Indigos Wax Print Adventure Pack Indigo | The African Fabric ShopCotton yarns are woven by machine to produce grey cloth
A digitally produced design is engraved onto copper rollers, which are printed onto both sides of the cloth using melted wax.
The cloth is put inside an indigo dye bath where the exposed parts of the design are dyed and the wax areas are resisted.Special machinery may then crack the wax to create a marble or bubble effect.
Large industrial machines print usually two or three colours onto the fabric design before and/or after the wax is removed by washing.The removed wax is recycled and used again for future fabric production.
Different finishes can be applied to the cloth, which is often what makes the fabric more expensive.Unfortunately, it can sometimes be hard to find authentic wax print fabric produced in Europe and Africa amongst the many cheaper counterfeit fabric imitations produced mainly in Asia.
Whether you are shopping for fabric in a market, in shops, or online, what should you look out for when searching for the real deal? What does fake African print fabric look like and how can you easily tell the difference between the two?

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE CURRENT AFRICAN FABRIC MARKET?

First of all, it is important to give you some background information about the history of the fabric to provide some context.Wax print fabric originated in Indonesia from traditional batik making.
Europeans further developed the technique by using modern machinery so they could produce imitation fabric in bulk.
Image by Camille Bismonte
The new fabric didn’t take off in Indonesia, as they preferred the traditional batik fabrics. However, the fabric did become popular in Africa, when first introduced by West African soldiers in the 1880s as they returned home after serving in Indonesia.
Currently, The Netherlands and several African countries are still large producers of these authentic fabrics.
Due to the popularity of the fabrics in Africa, Asian countries (particularly China and India) now replicate and ship the fabrics to many African countries in huge quantities.

Chinese produced ankara fabrics at an African market
The Asian-produced fabrics are usually of poor quality and sold at a much cheaper price than the original fabrics.
They also copy the original designs, making it very difficult for the companies making authentic fabric to compete!It takes Asian-based manufactures 1 to 3 months to copy an authentic fabric design so speed to market is really important for African and European manufacturers of authentic wax print fabrics to compete.
Some authentic fabric manufacturers add a unique code to the selvage of their fabrics so customers can check if it is real or fake.
Record Ankara Fabric, Purple and Orange - 1 Yard - UrbanstaxThe well known ‘record’ or ‘gramophone’ design (authentic fabric)
 Amazon.com: Circle/Disc Design African Guaranteed Wax Block Prints Fabric/African Ankara Wrapper Fabric Wax Fabrics /-Sell by 6 Yards-100% Cotton-for ...Fake African wax print fabric made in China Tanzania market
The same popular design but counterfeit fabric printed in Asia
Many Africans prefer to purchase Asian-produced fabrics because they are more affordable. They also need to pay a tailor to make a garment so the cheaper fabrics have made wax prints more popular and easily accessible.
The more expensive authentic fabrics are usually purchased in smaller quantities for special occasions such as weddings and birthdays and given as gifts.
The huge competition from Asian manufacturers has caused some factories in Africa to close causing local people to lose their jobs, which greatly impacts their livelihoods.
These factory closures are causing the textile industry in African countries to decline, which is so vital for a country’s economy.
The closure of factories also has a negative impact on their supply chain including African farmers that grow the cotton used to make the fabric.


HOW TO SPOT COUNTERFEIT ANKARA FABRIC SOLD ONLINE & IN-STORE 

There are several ways that you can easily tell the difference between real and fake wax.It is much easier to tell the difference if you can see and touch the fabrics in a market or store compared to online. Here are our top tips on what to look out for!


BE WARY OF CHEAPER PRICES

The price is usually the first sign that can help you to determine if the fabric is original or not. Counterfeit fabric can be half the price or even more!If you are new to shopping for African print fabric we recommend doing your research and shopping around first so you can easily compare.


AVOID POORER QUALITY ITEMS, ANKARA FABRIC IS MADE FROM 100% COTTON

Simply touching the fabric can give you a really good indication of the type of quality. If the fabric feels soft and flexible then it could well be authentic wax.If the fabric feels harsh, hard, and stiff like paper or even cardboard then chances are it is fake.
Most of the Asian-produced fabrics are not 100% cotton even if they are advertised as such. They use cheaper grades of cotton or mix the cotton with other fibres such as polyester to reduce the price.
This is one reason why the quality of counterfeit wax is far less than authentic fabrics.On the other hand, authentic fabrics are made from pure, higher quality 100% cotton usually sourced locally in the same or neighbouring countries.
Cotton Harvesting Methods and Cotton Ginning Procedures | CottonWorks™
A cotton field before harvesting
This is why the fabric feels a lot softer and is more comfortable to wear. It is also long-lasting as it washes very well in the machine and the colourfastness is excellent compared to fake wax.
Also, check that the fabric design is printed on both sides of the fabric.

CHECK THE FABRIC SELVAGE & STICKERS

From our experience, there are several small signs to look out for that can tell you instantly. First of all, on the selvedge of the fabric, it might say ‘made as…’ or ‘made for…’ instead of ‘made in…’ before the country name.
The names of known manufacturers may be spelt differently, for example, ‘Disco’ instead of ‘Vlisco’. On the fabric stickers, the logos and branding of a known manufacturer may also be copied but do not look completely the same.
The stickers may also contain Asian phone numbers so check the country codes, for example, +86 for China.


ASIAN MANUFACTURERS TO LOOK OUT FOR

You can also carry out some research so that you can easily spot the names of well-known Asian fabric manufacturers such as Hitarget, Flygle, Orientar, and Sunbelt all from China.
Also, don’t be fooled when you see words such as: ‘guaranteed’, ‘real’, ‘original, ‘superior’, and ‘deluxe’ on the fabric selvedge or on the stickers.
We’ve also heard that if you lick the fabric the taste of the two is very different!


STICK TO SMALL AFRICAN CLOTHING BUSINESSES LIKE NALA MAKEDA 

If you feel passionate about supporting the African textile industry and prefer to shop for quality over quantity then be safe and stick to the businesses that know best.
If you have followed our above advice and are still not sure (especially for online retailers) then contact the businesses to ask them some questions.
You could even ask them to send you a photo of the fabric selvedge and stickers to help you to investigate further. If they are an honest, transparent, and reputable company then they should have no problem providing you with this information.
Nala Makeda stands out because one of our main values is to always purchase 100% 
authentic ankara fabrics sourced only from the African continent to support the textile industry.
Image by Eva Blue
Our high-quality fabrics, printed in Nigeria, have largely contributed to the success of our African print clothing and made to measure garments!
Our customers always tell us how much they love our clothing, how comfortable it is, and how the fabrics look as good as new so many years later.
This is why so many of our customers have come back to us time and time again. Read our story to learn why our social enterprise and ethical clothing brand exists and see our customer reviews.


BROWSE OUR RANGE OF ANKARA FABRICS

If you’re looking to purchase authentic African wax print fabric or modern afrocentric clothing browse our African boutique online today!
Our ankara fabric shop contains some beautiful bold colours and fabulous designs.
The premium fabrics can be purchased by the yard (1 to 6) so you can avoid fabric wastage by only purchasing what you need. We also sell fabric fat quarters left over from our clothing production.
SHOP ANKARA FABRIC Quilting with African Wax Print FabricsBe sure to check out our blog for inspiration on what you could make at home with the fabric including interior design ideas.
We’ve also got some helpful wash care advice so that the fabric stays cleaner and fresher for longer!
What’s also great about purchasing from Nala Makeda is that we’re a caring social enterprise so each purchase directly benefits our tailors, who lovingly make our clothing by hand in their own workshops.
If you haven’t already, subscribe to our mailing list below to receive our latest blog articles, news, offers and promotions, and receive 10% off your first order!
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