African textile heritage, direct from the producer
Textiles of Africa (ToA) is a marketplace and a reference library. It connects weavers, dyers and embroiderers across the continent with designers and brands that want authentic cloth, and it documents the history, symbolism and technique behind each tradition.
Why ToA exists
African textiles are among the most recognised in the world, yet the people who make them rarely control how their work is described, priced or sold. Buyers, for their part, struggle to tell an authentic hand-made cloth from an imitation, and to know where it really comes from.
ToA puts the producer at the centre: their name, their place, their technique and their story travel with every piece.
What we do
- Verify producers (identity and business registration) before their storefront is published.
- Review every fabric listing before it appears in search.
- Hold payments in escrow until the buyer confirms delivery.
- Document the heritage behind each cloth: origin, process, colour and motif symbolism, availability.
- Publish editorial stories, designer spotlights and trend reports.
The heritage library
Our heritage guides cover traditions from North, West, East, Central and Southern Africa, from kente and bogolan to Beni Ourain rugs and Kuba cloth. Where sources disagree or are silent, the guide says so rather than inventing a tidy story.
Who it is for
- Designers, fashion houses and interior brands sourcing authentic cloth by the metre or in bulk.
- Producers who want to sell directly, with a storefront that tells their story.
- Students, researchers and curious readers exploring African textile traditions.