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 double n'gallama bath with a lime-brightened reserve for the pale ground — 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 cobalt wool-silk, beaded collar, gold bogolan-diamond hem and cuff embroidery, cobalt tapered trouser, gold z mark.
