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 emerald wool-silk, gold braid lapel embroidery, bogolan-geometry cuff turnbacks, embroidered pocket crowns, ivory wide-leg trouser.
