Akosombo Textile Limited | |
| Formation | 1987 |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Akosombo Textile Limited (ATL) is a textile company in Ghana that produces real wax and African Fancy prints with 100% cotton. It is located on the grounds next to the Akosombo Dam in the Eastern Region. [1] It has weaving, spinning and finishing facilities. [2] It has four fabric labels: ATL, ABC, Treasure and Inspiration. [3] .The company's current manager is Ing. Kenneth Asare [4]
During the second half of the 19th Century, Javanese batik print was introduced to West Africa. Wax print was based on Javanese batik print. African soldiers took cloth that was brightly colored with them after serving in Indonesia. This introduced local production which was slow and laborious because of the traditional process of production.
Akosombo Textiles Limited now Akosombo Industrial Company Limited [5] was established in 1967. [2] A new production line ABC (A. Brunschweiler & Company) [6] Wax opened a new facility at ATL to produce a standard wax range for the Ghanaian local market. [7] ABC over the past 100 years has been synonymous with textile manufacturing in Africa and Europe for English Wax.
In December 2005 ABC's new production facility in Ghana was officially inaugurated at Akosombo Textiles Limited. ABC standard has been printed in Ghana since 2006 by ATL as a collaboration between ABC, UK and ATL. [8] The decision to move the production of Standard to Ghana was to meet the changing demand of local African consumers.
The production of high quality Standard wax in Ghana during 2006/7 led to the transfer of ABC products such as Superwax, Handblock and Premium, and resulted in the final closure of the Manchester production facility in December 2007. [8]
Textiles are designed on cultural beliefs, values and heritage of its people. Adinkra symbols are incorporated and there are motifs for different occasions. Designs are also created for the unity of organizations and institutions. [8]
Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth. This technique originated from the island of Java, Indonesia. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a canting, or by printing the resist with a copper stamp called a cap. The applied wax resists dyes and therefore allows the artisan to colour selectively by soaking the cloth in one colour, removing the wax with boiling water, and repeating if multiple colours are desired.
Kente refers to a Ghanaian textile, made of handwoven cloth, strips of silk and cotton. Historically the fabric was worn in a toga-like fashion by royalty among ethnic groups such as the Ashanti and Ewe. It is also worn by queens, princesses and women of Dagbon. In modern day Ghana, the wearing of kente cloth has become widespread to commemorate special occasions, with highly sought-after kente brands led by master weavers.
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The dashiki is a colorful garment that covers the top half of the body, worn mostly in West Africa. It is also known as a Kitenge in East Africa and is a common item of clothing in Tanzania and Kenya. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored suits. A common form is a loose-fitting pullover garment, with an ornate V-shaped collar, and tailored and embroidered neck and sleeve lines. It is frequently worn with a brimless kufi cap and pants. It has been popularized and claimed by communities in the African diaspora, especially African Americans.
A kebaya is an upper garment traditionally worn by women in Southeast Asia, notably in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Southern Thailand. Outside of Southeast Asia, it is worn by Javanese, Malays and Portuguese Eurasians in Australian Cocos Islands and Christmas Island, coastal India and Sri Lanka, Macau as well as South Africa.
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African textiles are textiles from various locations across the African continent. Across Africa, there are many distinctive styles, techniques, dyeing methods, and decorative and functional purposes. These textiles hold cultural significance and also have significance as historical documents of African design.
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Iwan Tirta was an Indonesian batik fashion designer. Tirta trained as a lawyer, but became an internationally known designer. He is credited with beginning the early revival of batik design during the 1970s and 1980s. He also became an Indonesian and Javanese cultural advocate, as well as a food consultant, later in his career.
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