Aboubakar Fofana fine indigo-dyed cotton damask summer-weight shawl - mid-blue
This shawl is made from finest damask cotton, sourced from one of the last of Europe's damask manufacturers, dyed a deep royal blue in a fully-fermented West African indigo vat by Aboubakar Fofana. It has been very finely hemmed on either side, and left with a short plain fringe at either end. It measures 60cm wide and 250cm long. To dye such a fine fabric to a bright, deep consistent shade of indigo blue is the mark of a very experienced dyer. Please read below for more information.
Aboubakar Fofana is an exceptional artist and master dyer whose work is dedicated to upholding and promoting Malian savoir-faire. He is best-known for his indigo-dyed pieces, but works in a number of dyestuffs, especially those which come from his region of West Africa, and from his second country, France. He spent many years travelling throughout West Africam trying to piece together the methods for building these traditional fully-fermented vats, which require many years of practice to build and keep alive and healthy for any length of time. This knowledge had all but disappeared long before Aboubakar was even born, the traditions fractured and the threads of ancestral knowledge broken by centuries of colonial violence on West African soil.
Aboubakar's indigo vats are fully-fermented, and use many kilos of carefully harvested and processed leaves of the two species of West African indigo plants that he nurtures on his farm in SW Mali. He nurtures the delicate bacteria inside the vats, and it is the actions of these bacteria as they break down the fermenting indigo leaves and release the pigment contained in them which cause the reduction of the indigo pigment from a solid state to a soluable form. In this liquid, colourless form, the indigo is able to oxidise onto the fabric. Aboubakar often remarks that his work with the vats is much more about balancing and taking care of the bacteria than it is about dyeing fabric - the blue colour is an outcome of the bacteria being in perfect balance.
The blue colours that Aboubakar is able to create with his vats have no equal in my experience. I first saw his work in Senegal in 2005, and it was and remains unlike any other modern indigo-dyed cloth - the colours scintillating and with a superb depth. As these pieces age, the colour will gradually patina, but it will never lose its stunning brightness and iridescence, unlike the chemical blues of almost all commercially produced indigo cloth. Fully-fermented vats also work with the whole leaf-profile rather than the extracted profile of indigo powder, which is the method used by most modern dyers. The result is like comparing an orange to a vitamin c tablet - the tablet has the basics but lacks many of the interactive ingredients which render an orange so sublime.
Aboubakar and I have also spoken at length about the curative and protective properties of natural dyes, especially of indigo. He first met indigo through his grandmother, who was a herbalist and traditional healer, and who often used cloth dyed with indigo and other plants as part of her healing remedies. I have experience the healing and soothing and protective qualities of Aboubakar's pieces personally, and can attest that there is energy contained in these pieces along with the profile of the indigo leaves.
His work is not easy to find or acquire as it is produced in extremely limited quantities and Aboubakar himself is often travelling. He does plan to have a stand-alone website in the future but until that happens I will try to offer his pieces whenever possible.
Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.
To purchase, please contact me.
This shawl is made from finest damask cotton, sourced from one of the last of Europe's damask manufacturers, dyed a deep royal blue in a fully-fermented West African indigo vat by Aboubakar Fofana. It has been very finely hemmed on either side, and left with a short plain fringe at either end. It measures 60cm wide and 250cm long. To dye such a fine fabric to a bright, deep consistent shade of indigo blue is the mark of a very experienced dyer. Please read below for more information.
Aboubakar Fofana is an exceptional artist and master dyer whose work is dedicated to upholding and promoting Malian savoir-faire. He is best-known for his indigo-dyed pieces, but works in a number of dyestuffs, especially those which come from his region of West Africa, and from his second country, France. He spent many years travelling throughout West Africam trying to piece together the methods for building these traditional fully-fermented vats, which require many years of practice to build and keep alive and healthy for any length of time. This knowledge had all but disappeared long before Aboubakar was even born, the traditions fractured and the threads of ancestral knowledge broken by centuries of colonial violence on West African soil.
Aboubakar's indigo vats are fully-fermented, and use many kilos of carefully harvested and processed leaves of the two species of West African indigo plants that he nurtures on his farm in SW Mali. He nurtures the delicate bacteria inside the vats, and it is the actions of these bacteria as they break down the fermenting indigo leaves and release the pigment contained in them which cause the reduction of the indigo pigment from a solid state to a soluable form. In this liquid, colourless form, the indigo is able to oxidise onto the fabric. Aboubakar often remarks that his work with the vats is much more about balancing and taking care of the bacteria than it is about dyeing fabric - the blue colour is an outcome of the bacteria being in perfect balance.
The blue colours that Aboubakar is able to create with his vats have no equal in my experience. I first saw his work in Senegal in 2005, and it was and remains unlike any other modern indigo-dyed cloth - the colours scintillating and with a superb depth. As these pieces age, the colour will gradually patina, but it will never lose its stunning brightness and iridescence, unlike the chemical blues of almost all commercially produced indigo cloth. Fully-fermented vats also work with the whole leaf-profile rather than the extracted profile of indigo powder, which is the method used by most modern dyers. The result is like comparing an orange to a vitamin c tablet - the tablet has the basics but lacks many of the interactive ingredients which render an orange so sublime.
Aboubakar and I have also spoken at length about the curative and protective properties of natural dyes, especially of indigo. He first met indigo through his grandmother, who was a herbalist and traditional healer, and who often used cloth dyed with indigo and other plants as part of her healing remedies. I have experience the healing and soothing and protective qualities of Aboubakar's pieces personally, and can attest that there is energy contained in these pieces along with the profile of the indigo leaves.
His work is not easy to find or acquire as it is produced in extremely limited quantities and Aboubakar himself is often travelling. He does plan to have a stand-alone website in the future but until that happens I will try to offer his pieces whenever possible.
Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.
To purchase, please contact me.
This shawl is made from finest damask cotton, sourced from one of the last of Europe's damask manufacturers, dyed a deep royal blue in a fully-fermented West African indigo vat by Aboubakar Fofana. It has been very finely hemmed on either side, and left with a short plain fringe at either end. It measures 60cm wide and 250cm long. To dye such a fine fabric to a bright, deep consistent shade of indigo blue is the mark of a very experienced dyer. Please read below for more information.
Aboubakar Fofana is an exceptional artist and master dyer whose work is dedicated to upholding and promoting Malian savoir-faire. He is best-known for his indigo-dyed pieces, but works in a number of dyestuffs, especially those which come from his region of West Africa, and from his second country, France. He spent many years travelling throughout West Africam trying to piece together the methods for building these traditional fully-fermented vats, which require many years of practice to build and keep alive and healthy for any length of time. This knowledge had all but disappeared long before Aboubakar was even born, the traditions fractured and the threads of ancestral knowledge broken by centuries of colonial violence on West African soil.
Aboubakar's indigo vats are fully-fermented, and use many kilos of carefully harvested and processed leaves of the two species of West African indigo plants that he nurtures on his farm in SW Mali. He nurtures the delicate bacteria inside the vats, and it is the actions of these bacteria as they break down the fermenting indigo leaves and release the pigment contained in them which cause the reduction of the indigo pigment from a solid state to a soluable form. In this liquid, colourless form, the indigo is able to oxidise onto the fabric. Aboubakar often remarks that his work with the vats is much more about balancing and taking care of the bacteria than it is about dyeing fabric - the blue colour is an outcome of the bacteria being in perfect balance.
The blue colours that Aboubakar is able to create with his vats have no equal in my experience. I first saw his work in Senegal in 2005, and it was and remains unlike any other modern indigo-dyed cloth - the colours scintillating and with a superb depth. As these pieces age, the colour will gradually patina, but it will never lose its stunning brightness and iridescence, unlike the chemical blues of almost all commercially produced indigo cloth. Fully-fermented vats also work with the whole leaf-profile rather than the extracted profile of indigo powder, which is the method used by most modern dyers. The result is like comparing an orange to a vitamin c tablet - the tablet has the basics but lacks many of the interactive ingredients which render an orange so sublime.
Aboubakar and I have also spoken at length about the curative and protective properties of natural dyes, especially of indigo. He first met indigo through his grandmother, who was a herbalist and traditional healer, and who often used cloth dyed with indigo and other plants as part of her healing remedies. I have experience the healing and soothing and protective qualities of Aboubakar's pieces personally, and can attest that there is energy contained in these pieces along with the profile of the indigo leaves.
His work is not easy to find or acquire as it is produced in extremely limited quantities and Aboubakar himself is often travelling. He does plan to have a stand-alone website in the future but until that happens I will try to offer his pieces whenever possible.
Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.
To purchase, please contact me.