How it's done

Here is a little photo journey through the processes of batiking. Chantale and the other women will spend multiple days just dyeing the cloth to prepare it to be sewn into bags and clothes. Most of the tools they use are quite primitive since there is a lack of advanced technology. This lack, in turn helps preserve the handcrafted quality of a tradition that has been passed down through generations.
Chantale has learned these techniques through an apprenticage (as many artisans here follow). Now, she has taught the women who assist her the same skills. It is her hope that she can move the production to a more proper location by constructing and opening a shop in her town. Since she works from home, she has little space to make a large production. This also presents difficulties in tending to the wandering hands of the small children, to prevent them from harming themselves. She has prepared a budget for the work of building a shop and boutique, and hopes to find sources for funding along the way. Her dream is to have a place to employ other villagers as well as orphans, teaching them skills to aid in their support.

She is also in the process of creating goods to debut at the Salon International de l'artisanat de Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso this November. This will be the first time she will have opened her product out to international buyers. She still has a long way to go in creating a name for herself and the other women who work alongside her, but she has the guts and drive to make it happen.

So here's how it's done .....in Togo

well at least for now...here's a snapshot...full slideshow to come later...

Powdered dyes are hand mixed to create bright and beautiful colors

Wax and hot water is heated over wood and coal cookstoves to be used in the process.

Chemical reactives are added to make the color fix to the cotton. Some are also used to create a variety of color tones.

The cloth is then stamped with wax using a wooden or foam stamp to preserve the underlaying color. A single cloth can go through numerous color baths, using wax to save each color in the layer.

The cloth is then laid on the ground to dry between colorings.

Some prints are entirely coated in wax to then be dunked in a reactive color that will give the tissue a marbelized look as the colors mix between the cracked wax.

Once the color is set, the fabric is then dunked in a hot bath with a solvent that will help release the wax from the tissue.

After the bath, the cloth is shaken and snapped to remove any leftover wax and then hung on the line to dry in the hot African sun.

Once the fabric is dyed, dried and pressed it is then sewn using a foot-pedal machine into bags, clothes and accessories. All stages of the process are hand controlled and time intensive.

Le Produit

Colorful mixed cloth and wooden details enhance each bag

Comfortable baby sling with hardwood buckle

Cute little boat shaped handbag for a night out

Patchworked tote for market or beach trips

Cute reversible day tote with wooden rings.

Cosmetic Accesory pouches perfect for little somethings or to use as a wristlette

Hobo Styled shoulder bag with harwood rings

perfect for weekend trips

Great shoulder bag for trips to class or the office.

Histoire (Her story)

Chantale Dovide, founder of aklala du Togo has been creating handmade batiked cloth using traditional wax techniques of West Africa for many years. Residing in Kpalime,home to one of the largest concentration of Togolese Artisans, she has begun to create a name for herself amongst the artisan community. Her carefully crafted cloth bags and accessories have been appreciated and demanded by many local tourists and volunteers from other countries. Her attention to current trends and styles while still preserving the traditional process of wax dying have begun to give her the leading edge in attracting new markets.
Due to the current economic climate of Togo, artists like Chantale continue to have problems expanding their enterprises at the rate seen in other developed countries. Hardships brought on by lack of financing, internal spending and family support have stifled the development of many artisan markets. They rely heavily on tourism to bring in outside monetary gain.
All of the products are created using time honored handcrafted techniques of fabric dying from Ghana, Togo and Benin. Working from her home with the help of five other women, they create all the beautiful prints from scratch. They mix the color, stamp or paint the cotton with wax then plunge the fabric into numerous dye baths to create vivid color combinations. The fabric is then laid on the ground to rest. After the color has set it goes through a hot wash to remove the wax then hung on the line to dry in the sun. Once dry, it is ironed to remove any leftover wax, then cut and sewn into bags, apparel and other creations. All steps of the process are done by hand, from heating the wax over coals to using a foot pedal sewing machine.
Due to methods which are labor intensive, the amount of product created is, at the moment, only sold locally. It is Chantale's hope that in the future she will be able to find the sources to meet the demands of an export market by way of time saving equipment and financial capital to buy materials in bulk for production. She would also like to open her own store front to showcase her products and attract more clients. Currently everything is done from her home, and occasionally showcased at local artisan centers and NGO offices.
At the moment, with the help of donor support she is purchasing raw materials to make product to debut at the Burkina Faso Artisinal Exposition this fall in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso www.siao.bf