September is African Fabric Month — the appeal of African Culture in cloth continues to grow worldwide!
RAHWAY, NJ — From fashion runways all around the world to exclusive boutiques to discount home décor retailers, the appeal of African culture in cloth continues to grow. And unique forms of creative expression take on even greater meaning when they’re transformed into DIY (do-it-yourself) sewing, quilting, craft, fashion and home decor projects.
African Fabric Month™ (www.AfricanFabricMonth.com) is an exciting new venture sponsored by Cultured Expressions, Inc. It promotes the artistic and practical uses of such fabrics as batik, kuba, adinkra, bogolan/mudcloth, korhogo, adire, kente, and more, and serves to honor and promote the cultures that create them. Fabrics like these lend themselves to one-of-a-kind garments, handbags and accessories, quilts and home accents, connecting DIY makers to the creators of the cloths through their culturally relevant colors, patterns and symbols.
“One of my greatest joys is sharing the awe-inspiring textile artistry of Africa as one of its many positive contributions to the world, in contrast to the negative media depictions of the Continent. My passion is creating events and activities that expose people of all backgrounds to the beauty of the fabrics, giving them an opportunity to truly “Feel the Fabric… Embrace the Culture,” and African Fabric Month is just another fun vehicle to reach people,” says author and designer Lisa Shepard Stewart, the owner of Cultured Expressions.
The month-long celebration encourages a variety of suggested activities and projects that are fun, educational, and culturally relevant. Because it’s primarily geared to people who like to sew, quilt and create (the DIY audience), the one-month time frame gives people of all skill levels enough time to engage in the creation of unique projects. Lisa adds, “Everyone is welcome to participate, and to share their own ideas for African Fabric Month with social media posts to include #AfricanFabricMonth or #SewAfrican.”
Interested in sponsorship opportunities? Contact Lisa at 866-MUDCLOTH (866-683-2568) or email lisa@CulturedExpressions.com
About Cultured Expressions, Inc.
African Fabric Month is sponsored by Cultured Expressions, Inc, a niche business specializing in the creative use of African fabrics for DIY sewing, quilting, craft and home dec projects through workshops, SewJourn™ travel opportunities, lectures, specialty merchandise and more. Cultured Expressions is also the publisher of Fabrigasm®, the Magazine for Lovers of African Textiles. Visit www.CulturedExpressions.com
About Lisa Shepard Stewart
Lisa is an award-winning author, designer and instructor. She founded Cultured Expressions, a specialty company that promotes the use of authentic African textiles and embellishments in sewing, quilting and crafts. Through her three how-to project books, specialty merchandise, workshops and SewJourn travel experiences, Lisa encourages others to express themselves creatively. Lisa returned to natural hair in 2000, and has since expanded her clientele to include other natural hair enthusiasts who love her imported batiks for headwraps — she enjoys the opportunity to convert some of these customers into DIY enthusiasts as well.
She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York with degrees in Communications and Marketing, and has held various marketing and merchandising positions in the sewing/craft /textile industry.
