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Kikoys are the latest Out of Africa and what fun they are! Pronounced ‘ki’ of
kitchen and ‘koy’ as in coy, or shy, but don’t be
shy about wearing them. Manufactured in the most beautiful of colours,
of a vibrancy that is only found in Africa, and 100% cotton, a Kikoy
is an extraordinary item of …what? Clothing, not really, but
you do wear it. Yet, you can do an infinite amount of other things
with a Kikoy. To begin in the ‘wearing’ aspect, originally
a Kikoy was a traditional mans garment from the East coast of Africa,
notably Kenya, the Kikoy has since evolved into a garment for all ages,
sizes and sexes! A sarong or ‘wrap’ for men and women,
to be worn at waist level, or low on the hips, or under your arms (like
a towel), tied, turned and twisted to fit, depending upon your preference
and shape! Babies wear them, glamorous grannies wear them, teenagers
must have them, and ALL men in Kenya wear them! Considered the East
African equivalent of a kilt, a Kikoy is somewhat traditional and of
course worn without anything underneath!
All owners of Kikoys will agree that once in possession of a Kikoy never
be without one! Perfect as a beach wrap, which can double as a towel, because
it is cotton it shakes out and dries quicker than you can say sandy bottom!
Ideal for picnics as a beautiful picnic cloth, to wrap food or glasses
in and then quite good to mop up afterwards. Wonderful as a scarf when
the lightness of cotton is just enough against the late summer chill, or
the perfect muffler for skiing, Exquisite as a tablecloth, or a turban,
a throw for that worn out chair, and then again as a bedspread or curtains,
or just about anything that needs a rectangular piece of dazzling cotton
material!
Kikoys are made from 100% cotton, grown in East Africa and spun in Kenya,
this cotton is soft, the yarn is then dyed with eco-certified dyes from
Europe, ensuring a fastness that the old traditional dyes did not. Each
Kikoy is unique in that the looms are threaded by craftsmen who make their
Kikoys rather like a Persian carpet, with a minute difference in each batch
of looming. A Kikoys is about 66inches in length by 40 inches in width,
the edges always include a border of some kind and the ends have a strip
of different coloured thread to the rest of the weft which is called a
kapala, the ends are then left in threads of up to three inches. These
threads are hand-knotted into thin plaits to form a fringe, the true mark
of a good Kikoy is in the knotting! There is a women’s self help
group in Nairobi who were formed to undertake the knotting of all Kikoys
for The Kikoy Company. This is very important work in Africa, as the women
are able to take it home and accomplish a task and earn an income without
leaving their children.
A Kikoy is rather difficult to describe in a few words and indeed I now
find myself rambling on about the marvels of a Kikoy, it is only fair to
say that to know one is to love one. Somehow they wear and wear, the cotton
becomes softer and softer, and the loose weave of the Kikoy just lends
itself to become a well-worn security blanket of notable worth! I have
seen many a domestic over a simple Kikoy and trust me on this one, be sure
to have at least one each, or dare I say it, someone will covet your Kikoy! |
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