V&A

Hot Pink Silk Raffia Ceremonial Fringe Cape

2010s · 2010s · African

Production

artisan-craft

Material

silk and raffia blend

Culture

African

Movement

Dark Academia

Influences

traditional African ceremonial dress · contemporary art fashion

A striking ceremonial ensemble featuring a vibrant magenta silk and raffia construction. The garment consists of a fitted base layer completely enveloped by an elaborate cape or outer layer decorated with dense, graduated fringe work. The fringe appears to be hand-knotted raffia in varying lengths, creating horizontal bands across the shoulders, arms, and torso. The silhouette is completely transformed by the fringe, creating a dramatic rectangular profile that obscures the body's natural lines. The construction demonstrates sophisticated textile manipulation, with the fringe elements appearing to be individually attached to create the cascading effect. The intense pink coloration is consistent throughout both the silk base and raffia fringe components.

capeoversizedfloor length

Connected To

Sage Green Figured Twill Silk Hanahaba Obi

Sage Green Figured Twill Silk Hanahaba Obi

61%

Hot Pink Silk Raffia Ceremonial Fringe Cape

Movement·Dark AcademiaTechnique·hand-weavingFunction·religious-ceremonial

Echoes Across Time

Cream Leather Masonic Apron with Pink Satin Border

2010s → Wartime / Utility Fashion · 70yr45%

SHARED

Technique·appliqueFunction·religious-ceremonial

Rust Orange Navy Blue Striped Traditional Jacket

2010s → Empire / Regency · 210yr43%

SHARED

Pull the Thread→

Follow this garment wherever the graph leads

SHAREDsame era · cross-culture · cross-category

The sage obi's austere geometry and the fuchsia cape's exuberant fringe couldn't look more different, yet both carry the DNA of ceremonial restraint — the Japanese piece through its muted palette and precise pleating, the African garment through its structured silhouette beneath all that kinetic movement.

Text60%

Image57%

Entity31%

Cowry Shell Ceremonial Belt with Cascading Strands

Cowry Shell Ceremonial Belt with Cascading Strands

59%

Hot Pink Silk Raffia Ceremonial Fringe Cape

Movement·Dark AcademiaFunction·religious-ceremonial

SHAREDsame era · cross-culture · cross-category

These two ceremonial garments speak the same kinetic language, where movement becomes meaning. The Ivorian cowry shell belt transforms the wearer into a living percussion instrument—each strand a cascade of ivory-white shells that would click and shimmer with every step, turning ritual into rhythm. The hot pink cape answers with its own choreography of fringe, where silk and raffia create waves of saturated color that ripple and flow like liquid fuchsia.

Text61%

Image76%

Entity28%

V&A

2010s · 2010s