The cloth
Bogolanfini begins as hand-woven cotton strip cloth, joined selvedge to selvedge before it ever meets the dye. It is dyed with a n'gallama leaf bath, then river-mud fermentation over three passes — the pattern is not printed on, it is drawn in mud and then the ground around it is lifted away. On this piece the mudcloth meets burgundy washed linen with a lightly brushed inner face, bogolan mudcloth sleeve and hem accents, tonal burgundy embroidery, discreet gold-tone z at the centre peak.