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 ivory oiled cotton, woven obsidian bogolan mudcloth placket facing and cuff turnbacks, corozo buttons, aged-gold z embroidery.
