Historically, textile production has given a deep insight into the societal framework of different regions—from lines of communication among people to establishing customs and belief systems. African cloth-making is a culmination of multiple processes, of which dyeing itself forms an integral part. The intriguing thing about African textiles is the sheer diversity in methodology that exists across cultures. You see this in the way handweaving techniques vary between countries: take, for example, the silk-cotton-gold strip weaves of Ghana's Kente cloth and the hand-quilted outerwear from the Ndebele tribes of South Africa and Zimbabwe. These variations can be found in the same vein when tracing the chronology of dyeing practices in Africa.

A Sustainable Way Forward 
  

Moreover, artificial dyes pose a considerable threat to the environment, as synthetic dyes need large amounts of water to produce and apply to the cloth. Rivers and lakes are then contaminated by the resulting chemical wastewater, a product of these faux dyes. The negligence of methodical, climate-friendly fabric making has thus made once illustrious centers like Kofar Mata lose their dominance, with pits largely abandoned.

The global fashion industry is currently in a reflective state, with supply chains being revisited, manufacturing redirected towards circularity, and brands loudly making pledges towards reducing the industry's carbon footprint through the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. As a result, there is now a greater need to embrace more ethical production systems, and Africa's original dyeing methods offer a bright way forward.

A new generation of artists, designers, and artisans wield this knowledge passed down through generations and revive the dying art form. Womenswear designer Nkwo Onwuka, whose eponymous label champions fabric upcycling by repurposing cutting table waste and employing a variety of indigo dyeing techniques, strongly believes in this shift, saying, "The Nigerian fashion industry has a unique advantage because it is young, it is still at the experimental stage with no rigid guidelines, and so we can make our own rules." She continues, "Rules that enable us to tell our own stories, to work with our artisans and preserve our traditional craft skills and rules that work better for the planet." 

Nigerian fashion designer and curator Rukky Ladoja created Dye Lab to honor these practices. The pieces, eco-consciously made in limited quantities, pay homage to the artisanal formulas of West African forebearers and blend them with ideologies from other continents, like Asia. This inspiration is evidenced in the label's range of billowing Senegalese and Japanese-style kaftans, referencing the far east's indigo origins and offering a bridge between cultures. Amaka Osakwe, creative director of Maki Oh, was driven to learn more about the traditional practice after studying Japanese styles as a fashion student and the thoughtful nature of the cloth-making process. Her modern luxury reiterations, which have storytelling as a vital component, are a mix of hand-painted and hand-dyed methods. Her motifs are carefully applied onto silk with hot wax before being sent to artisans for dyeing in Osogbo, a southwestern city in Nigeria preserving ancient adire pit systems. For Osakwe, her clothes mustn't look, feel or smell like machine prints.
    
  

Artisanship and the Circular Economy
  

In furthering the conversation and continued use of ancient dyeing methods, some artisans make a conscious effort to invest in textile education and economic development. For example, Cynthia Asije, through her clothing company Adire Lounge, empowers women artisans in last-mile communities by offering free skill acquisition courses in a bid to curb Nigeria's unemployment crisis. Similarly, Studio 189 sees Abrima Erwiah and Rosario Dawson preserve these indigo-making tribes by employing artisans across West Africa to create textiles in their Ghana studio. As leaders across the continent are green-lighting policies geared at reaching net-zero carbon emissions and improving the state of our climate, there is increased hope for the reemergence of the originators of the dye and a chance for these techniques to lead the circular economy.