12 Dashing Facts About The Dashiki
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1. A dashiki is a loose-fitting unisex shirt that is typically made from colorful fabrics. Many people think that the dashiki is a traditional West African shirt, but it’s more complex than that.
2. The most widely known dashiki print design was created by Toon van de Manakker, a Dutch textile designer who worked for Vlisco. Vlisco is a textile company founded in The Netherlands that designs and sells fabrics primarily for African markets.[1][2][3]
3. Vlisco’s dashiki print pattern was inspired by the design of embroidered tunics worn by Ethiopian women. The Angelina design was based on a 19th century Ethiopian noblewoman’s tunic. [1]
4. The dashiki print design is known by many names. It has been called ‘Angelina’, ‘Addis Ababa’, ‘Miriam Makeba’, ‘Cigar Band’, and ‘Ya Mado’. [4] [5]
5. In the 1970s, the popularity of the dashiki print happened at the same time as the release of the hit song “Angelina” by the Ghanaian band “The Sweet Talks”. People began referring to the printed fabric as ‘Angelina’. [4]
6. The word “dashiki” comes from the Yoruba word danshiki which comes from the Hausa dan ciki (meaning “underneath”). It refers to a short tunic worn by males under larger robes. [6][7][8]
7. In many parts of West Africa, men wore (and still wear) tunics that inspired the design of the dashiki.[7]
8.In the 1960s and 1970s, the dashiki became a symbol of the Black Power movement in the United States. It was worn by activists and artists as a way to express their pride in their African heritage. Today, the dashiki is still popular among African Americans and other people of African descent. It is often worn for special occasions, such as Kwanzaa celebrations. [6][8]
8. It’s not clear who first imported the dashiki to the United States. According to some sources, the dashiki was introduced in the United States by travelers. Dashiki shirts may have been brought home as souvenirs by members of the Peace Corps who volunteered in regions of West Africa. Or, they were brought by African students and African diplomats at the United Nations in New York. [8] [9]
9. A young black couple living in New York City popularized the dashiki and other Afrocentric fashion in the United States. Jason and Mable Benning founded New Breed Clothing Limited in Harlem, New York, in 1967. They began mass-producing dashikis. At the height of its popularity, New Based Clothing had several stores around the US. They counted among their customers and supporters several prominent politicians, artists, educators, and athletes like Muhammad Ali, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., and Bill Cosby. [10]
10. Over time, the dashiki lost its political black identity and became a mainstream fashion garment worn by white Americans. In the late 1960s, American retailers imported cheap dashikis made in India, Bangladesh, and Thailand. Some dashikis were made from colorful cotton “kanga” prints made in Kenya and Tanzania. [8]
11. In the 1996 movie Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, there is a character named Dashiki. She is the love interest of the Ashtray. If you read the information above, you know that dashiki is not a Swahili word and it does not mean doggy style.
12. In the 2010s, the dashiki shirt regained popularity around the world. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, people started calling the pattern “Ya Mado” because the dancers in the music video of the popular song Mascara wore the dashiki. The lyrics mentions an attractive voluptuous woman named “Ya Mado”. [4] [7]
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