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On loan

  • On short term loan out for exhibition

Kaba Ensemble

1990s
Artist/Maker
Vlisco
Place of origin
London
Ghana

The ensemble is of printed cotton in the popular Ghanaian style know as a kaba and slit, or simply kaba, which consist of a kaba (sewn blouse), an abosoo or slit (wrapped or sewn skirt), and an akatasoo or second cloth (unsewn cloth). The kaba features decorative machine embroidery at the cuffs of the sleeves.

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read Cloth of a continent: Africa Fashion Africa is home to an abundance of cloth types, encompassing a breadth of materials and techniques as diverse as the continent itself. Revered for their distinctive weaving, dyeing, and decorative processes, as well as the raw materials used, these cloths are the tactile result of centuries...

Object details

Categories
Fashion
African Diaspora
Africa
Womenswear
Prints
Object type
Kaba Ensemble
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Kaba
  • Slit
  • Headwrap
Materials and techniques
Printed cotton, synthetic textile, plastic zip.
Cotton (Textile)
Brief description
Ensemble of a kaba (top), slit (skirt) and headwrap, 'ABC' pattern printed cotton, Vlisco, Ghana and London, 1990s
Physical description
The ensemble is of printed cotton in the popular Ghanaian style know as a kaba and slit, or simply kaba, which consist of a kaba (sewn blouse), an abosoo or slit (wrapped or sewn skirt), and an akatasoo or second cloth (unsewn cloth). The kaba features decorative machine embroidery at the cuffs of the sleeves.
Dimensions
  • Chest circumference: 101cm (Maximum)
  • Waist circumference: 87cm (Maximum)
  • Hips circumference: 112cm (Maximum) (Note: Skirt has drawstring)
  • Nape to waist length: 34cm (Maximum)
Measured by conservation
Production typeUnique
Gallery label
(02/07/2022 - 16/04/2023)
Not restricted to political matters, the cloth we wear can communicate anything from familial groupings or marital status to a love of learning. Designed at least as early as the 1920s, the ABC pattern advertises that the wearer values education or is themselves well educated. Still produced today, the design has gone through many changes and adaptations. The examples here show two variations printed by competing manufacturers 50 years apart, one in Helmond, the Netherlands and the other in Manchester, UK. V&A, Room 40, Africa Fashion
Credit line
Given by Akua Appiah
Object history
This ensemble belonged to Dinah Osei (1946-2016). Dinah Osei was born in 1946 in Ghana and after attending teaching college, moved to the UK in the early 1970s.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.36:1 to 3-2022

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Record createdJune 19, 2021
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1637114/kaba-ensemble-vlisco/
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