Batik
A batik is a form of textile often used for clothing and making of accessories such as handbags. It does not have a definite origin thus cannot be traced back to a specific country. Among the early people who ventured in this style are from the Bahamas, Indonesia and Ghana.
The Bahamas is a country located in the northwestern West Indies. It consists of a group of islands located in the Caribbean Sea. It is approximately 80km to the north of Cuba and southeastern coast of Florida. Ghana is a West African country that borders the Gulf of Guinea, Ivory Coast from the west, Burkina Faso at the north and Togo in the east.
Batik is present in other forms such as the Osei-Duro among the Ghanaians and the Androsia in the Bahamas. In Ghana, the making of Batik involved the use of wax before applying dye over a piece of cloth. The batik in Ghana is considered fun cloth thus has no restriction. For instance based on a class such as in Indonesia thus hence offering the artist a free will in design making. Ghanaian artists can be seen combining tie-dye and batik leading to better innovations in batik making.
Osei-Duro’s contains a textile rich identity embraced in Ghana. The Company was founded by Maryanne Mathias and Molly Keogh in 2011. The trend pioneered through the use of West African Batik from fabric such as silk and rayon. Processing of the textiles involves hand-weaving, tie and die and block printing among others. Androsia is another famous batik and garment manufacturing company. The design and element are inspired by the Bahamian culture. The business started as a local family business among the Andros people in 1973 when the Bahamas become an independent station. The business passed through the Birch family from Rosi to her son Jeff and later on to her daughter Casey.
Potential customers for both Osei-Duro and Androsia include men, women and children from all over the world. The primary customers to both businesses are women. Most artefacts presented are feminine. Among men, the fabricated shirts appear to be a trending design. On the other hand for the women dresses and jumpsuit appear to be intensively allocated. Both websites offer shipping services all over the world, indicating that it is an appreciated trend all over. Both fabrics made from the two contemporary fashion styles are handmade. Production of both companies has not only ventured in cloth but also accessory production.