African Wear

Stunning Kente Styles For Ladies

Kente styles for ladies are a perfect definition of exciting and sleek. The outfit design has a way of instantaneously elevating an ensemble and giving you that confidence boost you need to slay and slick at any occasion. Ready to step up the heat of your next event with refreshing Kente fabric styles? We’ve got you covered. Here are some style inspos to make your search less of a burden!

Before we get into the lookbook of the latest kente styles for ladies at weddings and engagements, here are some important tips to know about the fabric

What Is Kente Made Of?

Kente just like Ankara and Adire is one of the very stylish fabric types of Africans. The handwoven Ghanaian textile is made from silk and cotton fabric woven into strips and patterns. Kente is native to the Akan tribe in Ghana and was worn historically in a toga-like fashion by royalties.

This handwoven Kente cloth is made by Akans on Ivory Coast and in Akan lands such as the Ashanti Kingdom. Because of the colourful appeal of the fabric, it has gained entrance into modern fashion styles in lots of Ghanaian groups and African countries.

The Kente fabric experienced a boom in its popularity in 2016; at that time, mothers and daughters at home and abroad were rocking the fabric styles and it was slowly becoming a trend. With the pandemic and other unforeseen circumstances, the trends went down. But one thing is sure about the Kente fabrics – they didn’t lose their colour.

While it had its place in the trends, the style took its place on the world’s fashion map. Kente dress styles graced various fashion events both in Africa and abroad, even though little was known about the kente fabrics and their origin.

How Do You Wear Kente?

To wear Kente in pride like true Ghanaian royalty, you can either pattern the fabric into a dress or any fashionable outfit of your choice. To recreate the historical African dressing styles in Ghana, you have to wear them the standard way. To do this, the woven stripes must be patterned both horizontally and vertically. Also, the hem of the cloth should have the same pattern and not alternate between vertical and horizontal stripes.

Why Is Kente Cloth So Special?

Every pattern, shape and colour of the Kente fabric has a specific meaning. The aesthetic design serves as a sartorial device arrayed together on a cloth to give a perfect definition. Every aspect of the fabric has a message it is intended to pass across.

What Do Kente Colors Mean?

Initially, the earliest Kente cloth was woven from the black and white fibres of a raffia tree. The Ashanti King believed that the fabric could be made more beautiful if it included different colours, but this posed a challenge since the raffia palm was only in white and black colours. Fast forward to recent times, more colours were added, but each still holds a specific meaning.

The symbolism of the Kente colours is as follows:

White – Purification, Sanctification Rites, and Festivities
Black – Maturation and Intensified Spiritual Energy
Yellow – Fertility, Preciousness, Beauty, Royalty, and Wealth
Red – Passion, Political and Spiritual Moods, Sacrificial Rites, Bloodshed and Death
Blue – Pure Spirit, Harmony, Peacefulness, and Love
Green – Renewal, Growth, Planting, Vegetation and Harvesting
Gold – High Status, Serenity, Royalty, Wealth, Glory and Spiritual Purity
Silver – Associated with the moon, Serenity, Purity and Joy
Grey – Healing and Cleansing Rituals.
Pink – Associated with females, Mild and Gentle aspect of red.
Purple – Associated with women
Maroon – Associated with healing, Color of Earth

Kente dress styles are slowly coming back and you wouldn’t want to miss out on this gorgeous Kente style inspiration that we’re currently adorning. Would you? Of course not! Let’s explore some of these gorgeous African kente fabrics and designs that we’re swooning over.