add color to your life!

rags ‘n prints

I’ve always wondered ‘why would anybody want to go see a seamstress to have outfits made or buy from their inventory while we have so many choices from the clothing stores. then it hit me that the answer is not further than looking at myself. when I was young, I got tired of tailors who failed to make the clothes that I wanted in the styles that I wanted.

not everybody has dressmaking skills but you don’t have to. ain’t it great that you can have an idea any vision for apparel and have someone make them for you while you take care of the things that matter in your life? 

rags ’n prints is an african clothes online store based in the washington dc suburb of clinton, md. we aim to provide ready to wear ankara gowns that are cool and make you look beautiful. we custom make unique garments that fit your body, style and budget in our studio. our goal is to offer modern african styles of attire that use traditional and eco friendly materials with natural fibers. beside denim, most of the fabrics are sourced from africa or are inspired from it.

denim is ubiquitous. made out of cotton, it’s as close to african as can be. all fabrics originating from africa are made of cotton or other natural materials. so why not put some africa proud on this perennial wardrobe staple? just add prints and give them a new life. rags ’n prints offers denim jackets and jeans with ankara patches or prints of african symbols that you can wear and look contemporary while making an ethnic statement. some call it jeans refashion but we call it jeans african fashion.

hemp is so raw that it was not thought of as material for clothing.  a little similar to linen or mud cloth, because of its rugged nature, it’s clothes that peasants can wear. recently, it’s been seen on the runway and the rise in sustainable fashion trend has encouraged its adoption by people looking for more planet friendly modes of consumption. at rags ’n prints we see beauty in its texture and started using it combination with african textiles to offer you a way of wearing eco friendly as well as making an ethnic statement.

‘bogolanfini’ which literally means ‘mud cloth’, is fabric that originates from mali. it gets it’s distinctive rustic colors from dyes obtained from the mud. it has long been frown upon and used only in traditional settings until it started being used in home decor as wall hangings and other crafts that use african materials. all of a sudden, it surged in popularity as it found its way into the wardrobes of western men and women. rags ’n prints has long been using mud cloth to make kufi, bucket hats, rasta hats, an occasional african dress but more particularly, coats and jackets that were the craze in the late 90s. you can have all types of mud cloth garments or accessories, either ready to wear or custom made to get a unique outfit that is a timeless piece.

african print, also called wax print, ankara fabric has long appealed to the tastes of west african women who adopted it as their favorite cloth for dresses, skirts and head wraps. for a long time, western women shied away from the prints as they were deemed too colorful to blend in. people are slowly discovering its rich beauty, aided by designers who featured them on the runway and some celebrities who dared showing their colors in african fashion. rags ’n prints has been empowering women by helping them in the fabric selection, design and cut ’n sew process to deliver a finished outfit in contemporary style that fits your curves.

in a sense rags ’n prints clothing celebrates the vibrant cultures of africa without sacrificing the modern look. we borrow from universal civilization: from the sleek angles of italian design to the draping ample shapes of japanese traditional wear and african robes and dresses, it’s a mix of afro eurasian forms of expression.

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make a statement with accessories

what you wear and how you wear it is an expression or your style. you can stand out by creating your look with bold ethnic accessories that show your unique you. that’s style expressions!