It is very common now to see Kente Stoles in graduation & kwanzaa ceremonies in countries all over the world. This is a sign of prestige as it is a cloth for royalty. In America, it is most common to see the stoles worn by members of sororities and fraternities with their greek letters woven into the fabric or by church choirs and clergy. If you would like to buy kente stoles check out our our shop section. Below are some examples:
Kente Cloth Print refers to fabric which is made to look like Kente (as use in these kente folding fans), altough it is not woven in the same way. Kente Cloth Print is generally created by dying regular cotton with a stamp that has the appearance of genuine woven Kente. It is very common to find Kente Cloth Print worn since it is much cheaper and very accessible however it should not be confused with authentic Kente, which is hand woven in a loom.
Below are some pictures of Kente Cloth to be used as clip art. You may be also find our Free Printable Kente Cloth Coloring Book of interest.
We hope you enjoy!
The best place to buy Kente Cloth is directly from Ghana. When buying Kente cloth, make sure that it is hand woven from individual threads. Often you will see what appears to be Kente cloth, but they are actually prints. This is not “Kente” but rather an imitation and does not carry the same value and prestige. An easy way of determining if the Kente is authentic is by seeing if the color on one side of the fabric is consistent with the color directly opposite that section of fabric. Real kente cloth is handwoven so the thread will be consistent on the opposite side. Imitation kente cloth is printed on the cloth so the opposite side may show a different color, which is impossible in handwoven cloth.
We have kente imported directly from Ghana and available for sale. Due to the unique nature and amount of work involved in creating Kente, these cloths are in limited quantities. Check Our Shop page to buy Kente Graduation Stoles before they sell out. You can also watch a video of one of our Master Weavers weaving a kente cloth.
More information on Kente:
Kente clothes are available in countless colors and umpteen numbers of designs. It is astonishing and unbelievable that each and every color and design have special meaning and implication. The skillful combinations of colors and designs are real feasts to the eyes and provide soothing satisfaction to the mind.
Kente is a fabric local to Ghana and nearby West African countries. It is believed that Kente cloth was inspired by the weaving pattern of a spider. The spider weaves its web and is known locally as ‘nwentoma.’ The magnificent colors make the Kente extremely special. The way the fabric is woven is simply marvelous. The fabric is hand-woven in four inches wide strips. It would take almost a day to weave just one strip. These strips are then woven together to make bigger pieces of cloth. The cloth is filled with various colors and designs.
Kente cloth is completely a product of handicraft. No machine is involved. As such, it is labor intensive. A lot of special skill is essential to make it. Because of these features, Kente cloth was traditionally reserved for royal family members. It was generally worn by kings and queens in Ghana and is reserved for special occasions and ceremonies.
All colors have places in Kente clothes. Blue stands for peace, love and harmony. Green signifies growth, harvest and vegetation. Yellow denotes prosperity, royalty and richness. Red is indicative of death, mourning and funeral. The designs used in Kente clothes are even more meaningful and significant. Forgiveness, tolerance, patience, harmony in variety, responsibility, hard work, progress, dependency on God and power of the people are a few among a number of implications of various designs used.
You may visit Our Shop page for further details and place orders. Online shopping guarantees best quality and lowest possible cost.
