I love African wax prints. This is one of the most obvious things that I have ever said as I guess that it is well known worldwide! What you may not know (yet!) is that I found out a way to mix my love for African wax prints and vintage. I realized that in the last few years it is easy to find vintage and second hand wax printed clothing in my favorite vintage shops. But I wondered: where do they come from?
I always ask for the origin of these pieces because I am very curious of their story, especially when it comes to wax prints. My curiosity led me to find out that there is a very special type of African wax print: the commemorative wax. It is a peculiar print on wax created for a special event. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found my first commemorative wax printed dress at Humana Vintage in Milan: I bought it immediately even if it was too small for me (I’m currently finding a way to wear it somehow! You know how creative I can get in such cases!), it was commemorative of an international event in Ivory Coast about at the end of the 90s.
The second piece of my vintage commemorative wax collection is this amazing orange dress that I found on Depop last summer from the great vintage seller Blondie Girl (lovely Claudia): this beautiful dress celebrates the International Women Day congress in Cameroun in 2007. I was so excited when I saw it that I bought it immediately! I love it at the point that I wore it to celebrate my birthday last summer, when these pictures were taken!
I paired it with my beautiful African crown, handmade for me by Madame Ilary with a wax printed fabric that I was offered in Senegal and with original Indian trimmings that my friend bought for me during her trip in India.
Black sandals are from Clarks, rings are vintage Berber from Morocco, golden hoop earrings from Gogo Philip.
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