How to keep your Ankara wear from fading

Damilola Obasa is the Creative Director of Adora’s Place, a fashion outfit based in Ibadan, Oyo Sate. In this piece, she writes about the versatility of the ankara fabric and also offers tips on how to care for it.

ANKARA has become very popular in recent years.  It is now the latest and trendy ready-to-wear outfit that is worn by both the high and mighty in and outside the continent of Africa.

Ankara fabrics are now used for different designs, such that it has become part of our daily wears. It is now either worn as a casual or corporate wear. This is probably because the fabric is less expensive than other fabrics and can be made into any design/style. Ankara clothes are beautiful, versatile and readily available in the local market.

For some time, there was a common problem associated with wearing ankara fabric, which is the problem of caring for them properly. For a long time, some people didn’t like to wear ankara because every time it is washed, it fades. Some people have however found a solution to that problem.

So, now that ankara is trending and is mostly in beautiful ready-to-wear pieces, how do you now care for it in order to keep it from fading?

First, you need to understand that there are different types of ankara, but the most common one is the wax which is of high quality. Therefore when buying your ankara fabrics, ensure you  buy the quality type which is mostly 100% cotton.

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Ankara being a colourful, lovely and vibrant material needs to be well cared for in order to keep it from fading. Below are the best ways to care for your ankara wears

As much as possible, avoid washing your ankara fabric always unless it’s compulsory. Unnecessary regular washing tends to make it fade away quickly

Avoid using washing machine to wash your ankara fabrics as the machine may be too rough on the fabric and if you must, use it just occasionally and adjust it to ‘normal washing’ setting.

In the case of stains, it is advisable to always treat only the area that has stains with baking soda and avoid using bleach on your ankara fabric; they are harsh on the fabric

Avoid using detergents to wash your fabric, rather use a mild soap. Detergents tend to make your fabric fade away because of its harshness onankara

And lastly, adding a tablespoon of salt to the water for washing will also help keep the fabric from fading (this is possible because of the chloride content in the salt)

These are just the basic pieces on information needed to care for your ankara fabrics and to keep them from fading.

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Nigerian Tribune