Ankara is a conversation. The print speaks first, loud and joyful, and everything else you wear either joins in or gets talked over. The right jewelry knows when to answer and when to listen.
This guide covers what Ankara is, four outfits we love, and the handmade pieces from our Kenyan artisans that suit each one.
What Is Ankara?
Ankara is the name most often used in West Africa, especially Nigeria, for brightly colored wax-print cotton. The technique traces back to Indonesian batik, which uses wax to resist dye. In the 1800s, Dutch manufacturers industrialized the process, and the fabric found its true home in West Africa, where people made it their own with patterns, names and meanings of their choosing. In East Africa you'll hear a close cousin called kitenge.
Today Ankara is everywhere: wedding guest gowns, office suits, head wraps, two-piece sets and sneakers. However you wear it, the same few rules help your jewelry work with the print.
Three Rules for Pairing Jewelry With Ankara
- Pick one color from the fabric. Look for a secondary color in the print, a gold, rust or deep green, and let your jewelry echo it.
- Choose one statement. Big earrings or a big necklace, not both. Let the print be the third voice.
- Match texture to the occasion. Polished brass reads dressy. Bone, wood and beadwork read relaxed and earthy.
Outfit 1: The Ankara Maxi Dress
A floor-length print dress is already a statement, so give it jewelry with clean lines and a warm metal. Brass picks up the golds and yellows found in so many Ankara prints.
Pair it with: the Maridadi Africa Set, our Africa map earrings and matching choker, hand-embossed in brass in Kenya. If your dress has a high neckline, wear the earrings alone.
Outfit 2: An Ankara Top With Denim
A peplum or wrap top in print, worn with your favorite jeans, is the easiest way to wear Ankara every day. Earthy materials keep it relaxed.
Pair it with: Twiga African Earrings, hand-carved from bone with a giraffe pattern, or Treetop Nzete Earrings, made from real coconut shell with emerald-green metalwork. Treetop is especially good with prints that have green in them.
Outfit 3: The Wedding Guest Look
Aso ebi, a matching fabric worn by family and friends at a celebration, or any dressy Ankara gown, calls for jewelry with movement. Choose earrings that catch the light when you dance.
Pair it with: Ndege Fringe Earrings, a chandelier design with metal fringe that moves as you do, or Upepo Earrings, three tiers of hand-embossed brass that jingle softly. Upepo means wind in Kiswahili.
Outfit 4: Head Wrap and Neutrals
Sometimes the print lives only in your gele or head wrap, with a cream, black or camel outfit below. Here the jewelry should frame your face without competing with the wrap.
Pair it with: small earrings, like Little Africa Earrings in brass with an elephant imprint, by Kenyan designer Jack Okumu. Add the Urembo Beaded Choker if your wrap has red or yellow in it.
Ankara and Jewelry: Common Questions
Should I wear gold or silver with Ankara?
Most Ankara prints carry warm tones, so gold-toned brass is the easy choice. If your print is mostly blue, purple or grey, silver-toned pieces like our Vihiga chandelier earrings work beautifully.
Can I wear beaded jewelry with a busy print?
Yes, if you choose one bead color that's already in the fabric and keep the rest of your jewelry quiet.
What earrings go with an Ankara head wrap?
Small to medium earrings that sit close to the face. Long drops can get lost against a full wrap.
Find Your Pairing
Our Pairings collection brings together pieces chosen to be worn as a set, and our African earrings collection has dozens of handmade styles. For the story behind our best seller, read Twiga Means Giraffe.
Love, Africa
