Groupe Bogolan Kasonbane is an artist collective from Mali with a studio, shop and gallery.  They are innovators and pioneers in the bogolan fine arts movement, researching the traditions of the bogolan people , the language of the marks and colours encoded in the bogolan cloths.  All this was in danger of being lost , they have abandoned modern art painting methods and have worked with traditional Mali art materials such as vegetal pigments found in clay and plant dyes, using them on locally grown, hand woven cotton cloth.
Wikipedia 2012


Where does Mud Cloth originate from?
It must be remembered that the Bogolanfini cloth is made in Mali, West Africa.  Therefore it is a Malian cloth, to just call it an African fabric is too wide.  In an article in the Guardian.co.uk/fashion-blog. Hannah Rise, Features Editor of ARISE magazine, a luxury global African Quarterly, berates those in fashion who group African designs, calling them African, tribal, ethnic etc.  She quite rightly points out that Africa is a Continent not a Country, it is like describing a fashion trend as 'European' inspired ... this is meaningless as Italian style is different from French style, New York from LA, Liverpool from London.  The same is true for Africa, Nigerian fabrics, patterns and influences are different to those of Ethiopia, South African fashion does not call on the same references as Somali.

These are all fabrics and fashions designed by Ptolomy Mann, taking her inspiration from African tribal designs.

Chris Seydou (1949-1994) was a Malian Fashion Designer who brought Mudcloth to the fashion industry. Working with Yves Saint-Laurent amongst others.  His Chris Seydou line included Western-style jackets and miniskirts from traditional African patterns and fabric.  These promoted Bogolanfini, the traditional mud-dyed cloth.

Bogolanfini is a living art form, with techniques and motifs passed down from generations of mothers to daughters.  Patterns have meanings and different people have different meanings for the same pattern or colour combinations.  These can differ on the region, ethnic group or individual.










Each piece of mudcloth tells a story, no two pieces are
alike and each pattern and colour combination has a
meaning.  It can depict wealth and luxury, or, as with a circle, it can represent the house of the family and the dot in the middle is the family.  It is said to represent unity.











The symbols arrangement and colour as
well as shape of the mudcloth reveal secrets. 
The mudcloth is also used to define a
person's social status,character or occupation. 












Bogolanfini is an expression of Malian national identity and a symbol of belonging to African culture.  Sometimes there is no symbolic meaning:  the patterns and the colours are simply meant to be beautiful.
















Bogolanfini, for Bamana women has always been an essential component in the marking of major life transitions, such as birth, marriage and death. 








The colours of mudcloths represent different meanings and tell stories or portray a proverb. Although cloths with a black background and white design are considered traditional colouring of the cloth, other colours are used.









A mudcloth artist has to be taught each concept
and learn their skill over a long period of time.
They have to learn how to make each dye, all dyes are organic. A rust colour is supposed to represent the strong supernatural powers that protect the hunter. It also signifies blood either the hunt or from warfare and is useful as a form of camouflage.

Kente Cloth:  These are pattern which have been inspired for the catwalk from another African tribe, the Fante peoples from Ghana. There are many tribal cloths which are a rich and colourful source of culture and history.  Mud Cloth - Bolonganfini is only one of them.   

I am researching Constructive Textiles and am interested in African Mud Cloth (Bogolanfini : pronounced "Bo-ho-lahn-FEE-nee") Mud cloth is woven in strips which are then sewn together making a larger piece of fabric which will be used for clothes or rugs. It is coloured by first using a 'tea' made from the bark of a local tree, the Bogolon, which gives an ochre colour and also acts as a fixative (mordant), the dark brown colour comes from mud (hence the name)with a high iron content. This is applied and sun dried on the cloth before washing. This process is repeated to intensify the colour to a dark brown. Further marks are made by using bleach to remove these colours and reveal the original neutral colour of the woven cloth.