Ethnic Design Collection Reto Zehnder

A printed cotton fabric with traditional African design and a nice dark yellow colour.

An old hand woven mud dyed fabric collected in Mali in 1978.

Ten cotton strips, woven on a narrow loom and then sewn together and dyed by a special dying process. (see explanation above). The result is a bright coloured attractive fabric which can fit it in any modern design environment.

Eleven cotton strips, woven on a narrow loom and then sewn together. A lovely cotton fabric. It was then dyed to get a deep yellow-mustard- colour on black wich motifs stamped on it.

Nine handwovwn narrow white cotton strips wit a black design. Beautiful modern fabric

Stripweaves are woven on a narrow loom and then sewing several widths together to form large rectangular wraps. Woollen blankets are woven by the Fulani and Songhai tribes. Collected around 1978 in Niger.

This adire oniko (means tied resist) has been bought mid 1970 th ion a market in Benin or Nigeria. Beans, grains or small stones are inserted in the ties to fill them out and then tied with a raphia or cotton thread. The area that is bound will not be dyed. 

An Adire alabere stitch resist combined with tie dye from Nigeria. A unique and rare fabric, collected around 1978 in Nigeria. A similar iem is found  in the Brooklyn Museum under ACCESSION NUMBER 1990.132.9

A beautiful adire oniko (tied resist) fabric bought around 1975 in Benin (maybe Nigeria). Beans, grains or small stones are inserted in the ties to fill them out and then tied with a raphia or cotton thread. The area that is bound will not be dyed. An exceptional and rare item of such quality and age.

Seven hand woven cotton strips tie-dyed to creating white dots on deep blue indigo background

Anoter cotton blanket probably bought in 1978 in Niger or Nigeria. The fabric has some stains and needs to be washed

Indusrial cotton fabric tie and dyed.

Over-sized men's clothing equates to importance. In northern Nigeria, large silk embroidered robes that are worn, or given to subordinates, are indicative of high status. The triangular knife pattern and the calligraphic spiral rosette may have an underlying protective symbolism that has been overlaid with commercial trade value.

A wall hanging with an in Abomey style representing various animals. A lovely decoration for a children room

A hand dyed wrap on a indusrial cotton

The cotton strips, sewn together are hand woven on a narrow loom. Dyed with  natural indigo and patterned by the technique of resist dyeing. An ancient  piece of traditional African textile art.

A smal,new Kente with a very fine weaving

This cotton blanket was collectet in 1978 in Niger. Both Fulani (Peulh) and Songhai use this type of blanket. Typically this size and weight of cloth served multiple purposes as blankets and household furnishings. It has been washed and some of the the indigo blue has rubbed off. /see pictures)

Fulani weavers make theses woollen blankets that are worn in the cold season — woven of white sheep wool for the weft and cotton for the warp on a horizontal strip loom. A lovely, cream-colored blanket in good condition for its age (around 1960).

A large Kente from Ghan. Collected in 1970th in Ghana.The fabric has some stains but they can be cleaned without too much difficulty.

This is a cut pile Kuba cloth. Graphically distinctive and richly evocative of central Africa, Kuba cloth is handwoven using the strands from raffia palm leaves. The raffia strands are dyed in a variety of earth tones using vegetable dyes. Historically, the Kuba people have used their cloths as skirts, wrappers, sleeping mats and even currency. 

This is a cut pile Kuba cloth. Graphically distinctive and richly evocative of central Africa, Kuba cloth is handwoven using the strands from raffia palm leaves. The raffia strands are dyed in a variety of earth tones using vegetable dyes. Historically, the Kuba people have used their cloths as skirts, wrappers, sleeping mats and even currency. 

This is a cut pile Kuba cloth. Graphically distinctive and richly evocative of central Africa, Kuba cloth is handwoven using the strands from raffia palm leaves. The raffia strands are dyed in a variety of earth tones using vegetable dyes. Historically, the Kuba people have used their cloths as skirts, wrappers, sleeping mats and even currency. 

This is a cut pile Kuba cloth. Graphically distinctive and richly evocative of central Africa, Kuba cloth is handwoven using the strands from raffia palm leaves. The raffia strands are dyed in a variety of earth tones using vegetable dyes. Historically, the Kuba people have used their cloths as skirts, wrappers, sleeping mats and even currency. 

This is a cut pile Kuba cloth. Graphically distinctive and richly evocative of central Africa, Kuba cloth is handwoven using the strands from raffia palm leaves. The raffia strands are dyed in a variety of earth tones using vegetable dyes. Historically, the Kuba people have used their cloths as skirts, wrappers, sleeping mats and even currency. 

This tablecloth was made in the 1980's by a missionary station in Chad and represents rock engravings of the Tibesti. The fabric is  made of two large strips of white raw cotton.

This tablecloth was made in the 1980's by a missionary station in Chad and represents rock engravings of the Tibesti. The fabric is  made of two large strips of white raw cotton.