About Print — Wax on Wax off
2 min readDec 20, 2016
- Although an art form for centuries, particularly in Central Africa, the African cloth we know today as ‘wax print’ was perfected by the Indonesians particularly on the Island of Java and is known as Batik.
- The total annual African print fabric market is 2.1bn yards by volume and US $2.6bn by factory cost.
- China is the leading global producer by volume and value
- African production has been reduced in recent decades by cheap imports from China and India which are normally fake (and imported without paying customs)
- The African print fabric market has an annual retail value of US4bn !
- Nigeria is the main consumer market for African print Fabric, accounting for 38% of total demand
- Only 19% of African print fabric is branded
- A handful of well established brands compete mainly in the lower end of the market — there is virtually one name at the higher end of the market and lots of space in the middle
- African print is predominantly value driven, under-promoted and sold in the informal market
- The market is ripe for disruption, as African consumers become wealthier, the demand for ready to wear increases
