Merikani Shirt

From the Fall 1986-Spring 1987 Catalogue: “In the 1890s, Zanzibar was a teeming island marketplace, resonant with a thousand voices bartering in almost as many tongues. Among the most prized commoditities was unbleached American calico from around the Cape, sold by the bolt and admiringly dubbed “Merikani” in Swahili. The nomadic Masai especially loved Merikani, which they dyed with ochre in vivid patterns. Our Merikani Shirt was cut from a similar cotton–lightweight yet tightly woven–and dyed in rich hues the Masai might covert. Drooped shoulders and dolman sleeves make it relaxed enough to survive an East African market day.”

Pictures courtesy Kimberlee English-Anderson.