The Ghanaian Textile Industry Has Recently Designed Fabrics To Represent The Coronavirus Pandemic

In West Africa, textiles such as wool, cotton, silk, and many more are produced either through weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or even braiding. These textiles are commonly used to express the culture and heritage of a particular area. 

Textiles are also produced to represent the time, significance, and story of an era, a good example of which is the Mimiremi Textiles brand which produces exclusive hand-printed prints that tell the African story. In that light also, the Ghanaian textile industry has launched the production of textiles which symbolizes the coronavirus pandemic, and its effect on Ghanaians and their communities.

The Ghanaian Textile Industry  

The Ghanaian textile industry, which consists of textile manufacturers, textile exporters, and so on, is one that has shown signs of significant growth, especially in recent years. This is as a result of promoting high-quality designed fabrics as “Made In Ghana” to textile markets all around the world.

With export products ranging from Kente cloth, batik, printed fabric, polyester fabric, and cotton yarn, textile brands in Ghana have been able to provide for the need of customers, both locally and internationally. With support from the government, through favourable policies, as well as private enterprises, through the establishment of training institutes for aspiring textile designers, their textile industry is improving.

Covid-19 Inspired Fabrics 

Since the first case of the coronavirus was recorded in Ghana on the 12th of March, the numbers have been gradually rising, just as in many other countries, and due to this a partial lockdown was announced in two of the major cities, Accra and Kumasi.

Leveraging this to create textile designs, some of the fabrics have been designed to include padlocks to indicate the lockdown in which the country was under.

“We believe that it is going to leave a mark in the history of the world, and its important that generations that come after us get to know that once upon a time, such a phenomenon occurred.” –  Stephen Badu, Marketing Director of Ghana Textiles Printing.

Just like in many parts of the world also, the President of Ghana has repeatedly had to announce updates regarding the pandemic which was widely watched across the nation. Fabric designs which included glasses to depict the glasses worn by the President of Ghana, was another design that the textile industry put out to symbolize the pandemic.

We understand that these times have been trying for many entrepreneurs, especially in the fashion industry, but being proactive and making do with what is present is one of the best things any entrepreneur can do.

Another design that was used to symbolize the coronavirus and its effect, was the design of planes on the fabrics. Due to the pandemic, Ghana had to take measures to close their borders which implied that all flights had to be cancelled. 

As Mr Stephen Badu shared, in printing these fabrics they put a positive twist on a negative phenomenon that would forever be imprinted in the sands of time.