Afro centric Hairstyles: A Motif for Fabric Design and Construction

ABSTRACT: Natural hairs amongst Ghanaian women have proven to be evolving as they continue to be used
as a marker of cultural identification of Africans to denote age, religion, social ranks, marital status as well as
other status symbols. This study casts light on the trending Afrocentric hairstyle among students of UEW. The
study employed a qualitative study design. It used descriptive, field methods such as observation and interviews
to collect data from students with trending Afrocentric hairstyles. It was concluded that braids, perm, natural,
and weave-on were the types of hairstyles invoked at the university campus with braids and natural hairstyles
being the most dominant. These two were used to design and construct fabrics in three different colours and
styles. Again, hairstyles could be interpreted into varied symbols, proverbs, and so on to add up to the existing
stocks. It was recommended that researchers in the field of textiles should look in African feminine beauty culture and use them to come up with real and abstract fabrics to create a global awareness of how they
perceive aesthetics.
Keywords: Afrocentric, Hairstyles, Designing& Construction.