labret
A labret is a type of lip-piercing worn by various cultures to indicate wealth, prosperity and beauty.
View Articlemoccasins
Moccasins are a type of soft animal skin shoe that were worn by Indians in North America.
View Articlewampum
Wampum are shell beads strung together by American Indians to create images and patterns on accessories such as headbands and belts that can also be used as currency for trading.
View Articlecochineal dyes
Cochineal dyes come from the Cochineal beetle that is native to the Americas and is most commonly found on prickly pear cacti. When dried and crushed it creates its famous red pigment that is used to...
View ArticleAkwete
Akwete is a decorative cloth with complex weave designs, creating intricate geometric patterns, made with many vibrant colors. It is usually made into wrappers for women to wear and it is made by the...
View Articlekente
Kente is a Ghanaian strip woven textile that has striped patterns and bright colors with corresponding meanings.
View Articlehuipilli/huipil
A woven rectangular shirt worn by women in Central America beginning in ancient times.
View Articleikat
Ikat is a textile patterning technique in which the warp or weft yarns are dyed prior to dyeing and weaving the actual fabric.
View Articlepelete bite
Pelete bite is a fabric created by the Kalabari Ijo peoples of the Niger Delta region by cutting threads out of imported cloth to create motifs.
View Articleraffia cloth
Raffia cloth is a type of textile woven from palm leaves and used for garments, bags and mats.
View Articleanorak
An anorak is a jacket that typically has a hood, but not always, which was originally worn by the indigenous peoples of the Arctic designed to keep them warm and protected from harsh weather.
View Articletupu
A tupu is a long pin used to secure a garment worn across the shoulders. It was typically worn by Andean women in South America.
View Articlekaftan
The kaftan (also caftan) is an ancient garment, which originated in Ancient Persia but then spread across Central and Western Asia. It is a kind of robe or tunic that was worn by both men and women....
View Articleburqa
An outer garment worn by Muslim women that covers the entire body, often with a cutout or mesh at the eyes.
View Articlefaience
Faience is a man-made ceramic material that was often used in ancient Egypt to make jewelry and devotional objects. It is usually a blue color.
View Articledentalium cape/dress
A dentalium cape or dentalium dress is a garment worn by Native American women that is made from the stringing together of dentalium shells in a circular pattern around the neck and across the chest...
View Articleeye of Horus
The eye of Horus, or Wedjat eye, is an ancient Egyptian symbol that represents the eye of the falcon-headed god Horus and symbolizes healing and regeneration and was often worn for protection.
View Articlebackstrap loom
The backstrap loom is a lightweight, mobile loom made of wood and a strap that is wrapped around the back. It only needed to be attached to a tree or a post for stability and to provide tension.
View Articlexicolli
A xicolli is a sleeveless, sewn vest usually embellished with fringe that comes in various lengths worn by priests and high rank warriors in ancient Mesoamerican cultures.
View Articlebogolanfini
Bogolanfini (bogolan- meaning cloth; fini- meaning mud) is a cotton cloth made from strips of woven fabric, which are decorated with symbolic patterns using the mud-resist technique, sewn together at...
View Articleagal
An agal is a rope made from animal hair which wraps around a keffiya (square cloth) on the head and is worn typically by Bedouin men.
View Articlebanyan
A banyan is a loose-fitted informal robe or gown worn by men in the late 17th to the early 19th centuries.
View Articledashiki
A loose-fitting pullover tunic traditionally worn in West African cultures that was adopted by African diasporic communities as a symbol of African heritage in the 1960s and then more widely worn as a...
View Articleadinkra
Produced by the Asante peoples in Ghana, adinkra is a flat, cotton textile that is stamped with symbols which create the meaning of the garment.
View Articlekatazome (stencil printing)
A traditional Japanese method for printing designs onto fabric using a stencil and paste-resist dyes.
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