Dashiki

The dashiki is a colorful garment that covers the top half of the body, worn mostly in West Africa.^[1] It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored suits. A common form is a loose-fitting pullover garment, with an ornate V-shaped collar, and tailored and embroidered neck and sleeve lines. It is frequently worn with a brimless kufi cap (which is worn in Islamic communities in Africa and the African diaspora) and pants. It has been popularized and claimed by communities in the African diaspora, especially African Americans.

The now trademark dashiki design was born from the "Angelina print," a wax print pattern by Dutch designer Toon van de Mannaker for Netherlands-based Vlisco, whose designs are "inspired by Africa".^[1][2] The exact inspiration for the Angelina print pattern was traditional silk embroidered tunics worn by Ethiopian women.^[1][3] The Angelina print's popularity coincided with the release of Ghanaian high-life hit song "Angelina", a name the West African market would begin to call the wax print pattern.^[4] In Congo it would be called "Ya Mamado!" and later "Miriam Makeba", the former being song lyrics of a hit song by a local band that helped popularise the pattern and the latter being a legendary South African musician who often wore wax prints.^[4]

The word "dashiki" comes from dàńṣíkí,^[5] a Yoruba loanword from the Hausa dan ciki, literally meaning 'shirt' or 'inner garment' (as compared to the outer garment, babban riga).^[6]