AFRICAN BEAUTY: CLOTHING STYLE MAKES AN ARTISTIC STATEMENT

Betty Mosley didn't set out to sell art when she opened Sew Unique five years ago. She just wanted to combine her prowess in sewing with a love for the bright colors and stylistic details found in authentic African cloth.

Today, Mosley and her husband, Charles, have a thriving business near downtown Cape Girardeau that draws art seekers, fashion designers and other business owners as well as college students and passersby intrigued by Mosley's window displays.

Once inside the shop, they find bolts of authentic African cloth woven by artisans from throughout the continent.

"I get people from all over the area in here," Mosley said. "Some just like what they see. Teachers use it for educational purposes. Other people want the cloth for displays, picture frames, quilts, whatever."

The cloth is fairly expensive, costing between $5 to $15 per yard. Mosley said the cost is higher because she orders from a special company that returns proceeds from its sales back to the artisans.

"You used to be able to find African designs in more places, but not a lot of people carry it around here anymore," she said. Sometimes African prints can be found in discount stores, but "it's not authentic," said Mosley.

African cultures have a long history of creating art with fabric. African artisans use techniques such as embroidery, appliqu, printing, painting, and a special method of weaving to make their fabric stand out.

Kente cloth, which Mosley said is a big seller locally among men, was first woven by West Africans around the 4th Century. The cloth is not only used as clothing, it also is a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, moral values, social code of conduct, religious beliefs, political thought and aesthetic principles.

Genuine Kente cloth is hand-woven on a horizontal treadle loom. Strips in various colors and designs measuring about 4 inches wide are sewn together into larger pieces of cloths. In Africa, clothing made with the cloth is only worn during very important social and religious occasions.

Designs and symbols in African cloth also carry meaning. Mosley said she isn't knowledgeable about the designs but encourages shoppers to research their interests.

"I just look at it as a form of art, but it's easy to go find meaning behind design," she said. "I encourage them to go and research that information themselves."

In addition to the African cloth and clothing, Mosley said she's also doing a brisk business selling African jewelry. Necklaces made of powder glass, tiny wooden masks and traditional cowlry beads have been extremely popular, especially among college students.

Mosley said it doesn't take an art dealer to recognize the artfulness of the cloth and jewelry she sells. "People like it for a lot of different reasons, but it's art," she said..

YELLOW: sanctity, preciousness, royalty, wealth, spirituality, vitality and fertility.

PINK: tenderness, calmness, pleasantness, and sweetness.

RED: heightened spiritual and political mood, sacrifice and struggle.

BLUE: spiritual sanctity, good fortune, peacefulness, harmony and love related ideas.

GREEN: growth, vitality, fertility, prosperity, fruitfulness, abundant health and spiritual rejuvenation.

MAROON: healing and the power to repel malevolent spirits.

PURPLE: feminine life; used in rituals and healing ceremonies.

WHITE: spiritual purification, healing, sanctification rites and festive occasions, and contact with ancestral spirits.

GREY: spiritual blemish but also with spiritual cleansing.

SILVER: serenity, purity and joy.

GOLD: royalty, wealth, elegance, high status, supreme quality, glory and spiritual purity.

BLACK: spiritual energy, communion with the ancestral spirits, antiquity, spiritual maturity and spiritual potency.

Source: Kwaku Ofori-Ansa, "History of Kente Cloth: More than a piece of fabric."