3 ladies wearing stripped red, brown and yellow kikoy print material. wrap top, high waisted shorts, high waisted frill skirt. womenwear. summer inspiration. picnicfashion outfir. african print loving

All about the KIKOY

kikoy wrap top and two piece shorts set. stripped red brown and yellow african print kikoy

 

KIKOY!!

This month, it is all about KIKOY!!

I guess you are wondering what is Kikoy? Believe me when we say that at Veryldesigns, we are excited to tell you all about this fabric from the continent of Africa.

Clothing is part of our culture and heritage because it defines who people are.  A piece of clothing has the capacity to showcase one’s heritage in a way that no other can. It is a visual piece of design that brings out who a person is. We all know how clothing can depict a person’s interest for example goth brands are usually in black.  Fashion is a means of expression. It can be used to express one’s creativity or their cultural heritage.

   

 

And now we are introducing one of the Ugandan national attires to you………….

Uganda doesn’t have one particular national attire because we have over 50 tribes and you can be sure once you step on Ugandan soil, you will be enlightened on how each Ugandan belongs to a particular tribe.

These tribes are distinguished through their culture, food and yes, their traditional outfit. These traditional outfits are mostly worn during traditional ceremonies such as marriage introduction parties or giveaways and many others. It is considered improper and dare I say disrespectful to dress up in other kinds of clothes. These traditional outfits range from the Kanzu- a long dress shirt worn by men in the Baganda culture, to Oumushanana- a sarong like outfit worn by women in western Uganda and then we have…

                                                    

   DRUMROLL PLEASE

  

THE KIKOY!!

The kikoy is a stripped, multi-colored piece of cloth, usually woven of the brightest hue colour combinations with red as it’s the most prominent colour. It is made of cotton and the patterns are woven rather than dyed into the fabric. It emerged from cultural exchange between East Africans and their trading partners from nations like Oman centuries ago. It was traditionally worn by men at the East African coast due to the hot weather. 

Kikoy which means “Loincloth” was worn with a little or a lot of confidence to hold them up as the Kikoy was simply wrapped around the middle, or hips, or anywhere and rolled over outwards a couple of times.


The most common kikoy design has contrasting stripes with hand knotted tassels hanging off the side of the cloth. It is also usually used as the skirt for the Suuti- a dress worn by women in western Uganda or even providing shape for the Gomesi- the traditional outfit for women in the Baganda tribe in Uganda. 

However now it has come into the 21st century as a fabric that can be worn to express one’s individual style in any way. The kikoy has become so popular worldwide that in 2006, British company The Kikoy Company sought to trademark the word “kikoy” in the United Kingdom. Kenyan kikoy producers fought back against the trademark, arguing it would hurt their sales in the UK market.[2] The Kikoy Company later withdrew their trademark application. So Kikoy is safely back in the hands of the traditional cultural makers.

 

   

 

It is all about expressing your style with Veryldesigns. You can express it through the Kirabo collection which has a two piece-skirt and shirt or the wrap top or the Kimono. We have many options for you to express your style. You can even gift it to someone who you know wants to express her style through vibrant and bold print. WE have it all at Veryldesigns. It is the Month of Kikoy. Happy May!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to blog