Mud Cloth
Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages
|
2004
|
Copyright 2004 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. (Hide copyright information)
Copyright
Mud Cloth
Among African fabrics, the mud cloth of Mali in West Africa is as well-known as the Kente cloth of Ghana. Mud cloth is made of cotton strips woven by men and stitched together to form a larger cloth. Women then decorate the cloth with mud from the seasonal rivers in Mali. Mud cloth patterns are rich with meaning for the Bamana people of Mali; they symbolize the use of the cloth or convey messages to the wearer.
Applying patterns to mud cloth is labor intensive and time consuming. First women soak the rough cotton cloth in leaves that have a natural softening agent called tannin. When they apply clay in bands, diamonds, and other geometric shapes, the clay reacts with the tannin and a dark brown design is left on the fabric. The background of the fabric is then bleached white or cream to improve the contrast of the design.
Mud cloth is worn for ceremonial purposes in Mali. The cloth serves as a celebratory outfit during young girls' initiation rituals and as a shroud during funerals. Although mainly worn by women, mud cloth is also worn proudly by hunters to signal their status in their
social group. The beauty of the fabric has prompted the creation of variations on the basic design. A lighter weight version of the cloth is used for tablecloths and sheets. Men make stenciled cloth for tourists and some mud cloth is commercially made for export.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Kennett, Frances, and Caroline MacDonald-Haig. Ethnic Dress. New York: Facts on File, 1994.
Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
"Mud Cloth." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. The Gale Group, Inc. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
"Mud Cloth." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. The Gale Group, Inc. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (December 26, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3425500257.html
"Mud Cloth." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. The Gale Group, Inc. 2004. Retrieved December 26, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3425500257.html
Learn more about citation styles
|
Perfume.com Expands Internationally to Offer Sweet Smell of Savings to Shoppers Worldwide.
Business Wire; 5/8/2008; 700+ words
; VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Perfume.com today announced it has expanded...top online retailers for US consumers, Perfume.com has enhanced its offerings and increased...health and beauty DestinationHub[TM], Perfume.com is layering its user-friendly...
|
|
|
Perfume Bay(TM) Wins Trademark Dispute with eBay; Judge Stays Injunction, Permitting Continuing Use of www.perfumebay.com.
Business Wire; 12/8/2005; 700+ words
; ...the Ninth Circuit Tuesday night granted Perfume Bay Inc.'s motion to stay the lower...against the company. The stay permits Perfume Bay -- which has been involved in a two...Chairman of Chan Law Group, counsel to Perfume Bay. "We are very pleased that the Appellate...
|
|
Perfume Gallery Preserves, Recreates Fragrances
Transcript from: NPR Weekend All Things Considered; 11/5/2006; ; 700+ words
; ...and to recreate perfumes of the past. Susan...SUSAN STONE: A good perfume can evoke a memory...Coco Chanel. His perfumes also predate her...something surprising, a perfume called Le Fruit...hundreds of new perfumes released every year...in the world of perfume. Sometimes there...
|
 "Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)")
|
PERFUME SCENTS HAVE EVOLVED FROM ANCIENT CULTURES.(DAYBREAK)
Newspaper article from: Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI); 1/3/2002; 700+ words
; ...were added to perfumes. The first true perfume extract, in the...alcohol was added to perfume, was made for...17th century, perfumes with names were...started producing perfume bottles. The...materials for perfumes, such as jasmine...
|
|
Today's perfumes take on bolder scent
Newspaper article from: Chicago Sun-Times; 1/13/1988; ; 700+ words
; ...is being called "the perfume of the world," because...Georgia peaches. Most perfumes are a blend of natural...substances. Expensive perfumes contain oils from flowers...Colognes are 3 to 5 percent perfume oils, and toilet waters...popular plant oils in perfumes are lavender, jasmine...
|
|
How perfumes are created
Newspaper article from: New Straits Times; 11/19/2000; 700+ words
; ...Nevertheless the perfume industry has developed...The demand for perfumes has increased throughout...fragrance compounds. Perfume creation: The expert who creates perfumes for alcoholic fragrances...together to create a perfume that matches the...Whereas simple perfumes may contain a ...
|
|
Behind UK perfume trends.
Magazine article from: Global Cosmetic Industry; 12/1/1999; ; 700+ words
; ...Chemist as an outlet for perfume in the UK, that some designers have launched perfumes exclusively with Boots...an important area for perfume sales, the duty free...cosmopolitan perspective on perfume sales. Some of the best selling womens' perfumes at World Duty Free...
|
|
|
Celebrity perfumes wreak of the sweet smell of excess
Newspaper article from: Chicago Sun-Times; 7/16/1989; ; 700+ words
; ...half-ounce of perfume, Only is described...also working on perfumes for tennis stars...Among celebrity perfumes that tried and...A Salvador Dali perfume also flopped...quarter-ounce of perfume. Perfumes connected with...
|
|
'The perfume houses hate our guts'
Newspaper article from: The Independent on Sunday; 9/21/2008; 700+ words
; ...tampon... Maverick perfume experts Luca Turin and...monumental new book Perfumes: the Guide. Think...the grocery money on perfume, thanks to you...the PRs of French perfume houses. "Houses such...them in the store. Perfumes are public domain...
|
|
|
Online Discount Perfume Store, BigDiscount.com, Adds Designer Sunglasses to Their Offerings.
Business Wire; 7/2/2007; 700+ words
; ...service team. "The discount perfume and designer sunglass markets...companies can't offer discount perfume and sunglass prices comparable...allow us to offer authentic perfumes and designer sunglasses at...prices. About Online Discount Perfume Store www.BigDiscount.com...
|
|
Perfume
Book article from: How Products Are Made
...often considered perfume, true perfumes are defined as extracts...were used, that perfumes could be mass marketed...first synthetic perfume was nitrobenzene...largely to hold perfumes. The crafting of perfume bottles spread into...
|
|
perfume
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to the Body
...word ‘perfume’ which...Most modern perfumes are alcohol...practical uses of perfume fell out of favour...more popular, perfumes were no longer...medicinal value of perfume was also questioned. Perfumes, in fact, were...
|
|
Perfumes
Encyclopedia entry from: Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology
...helps one understand the perfumes produced by mediums...said to exhale a sweet perfume which increases at death...the ability to create perfumes by miraculous means...the Mahatma conjured perfumes out of the air by focusing...Dane's hand; the perfume lasted for twelve hours...
|
|
New Dana Perfumes Company
Book article from: International Directory of Company Histories
...is buying up classic perfume brands that have fallen...sells such well-known perfumes as Chantilly, Love...Benckiser entered the perfume and cosmetics market...RevIon and the Jovan perfume line from Quintessence...became interested in perfumes, believing that his...
|
|
SIC 2844 Perfumes, Cosmetics, and Other Toilet Preparations
Encyclopedia entry from: Encyclopedia of American Industries
...2844PERFUMES, COSMETICS, AND OTHER TOILET PREPARATIONS This category includes establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing perfumes, cosmetics, and other toilet preparations. Manufacturers of shampoos, shaving products, personal deodorants, hair preparations...
|
