SMITHSONIAN
Multicolored Striped Polyester Wrap Sleeveless Top
1990s · 1990s · African American
Production
ready-to-wear
Material
polyester knit
Culture
African American
Movement
Hip-Hop
Influences
African textile traditions · 1990s casual sportswear
A sleeveless wrap-style top featuring vibrant vertical stripes in magenta, yellow, teal, purple, and other bright colors. The fabric displays geometric patterns including zigzag motifs and diamond shapes interwoven between the striped sections. The garment has a simple construction with raw or serged edges and ties at the waist for closure. The polyester knit material appears lightweight and has a slight stretch. The silhouette is boxy and relaxed, typical of 1990s casual wear, with wide armholes and a straight-across neckline. The wrap design allows for adjustable fit around the torso.
shirt/blouseregular fitv-neckhip length
Connected To
Influences·African textile traditions
SHARED20 years · cross-culture · cross-category
These two pieces reveal how African textile traditions flow through the diaspora in radically different forms — the Ghanaian dress commands attention with its dramatic gold-on-black contrast, where crisp European tailoring meets the bold geometry of traditional kente-inspired patterns at the hem, while the American wrap top translates that same striped vocabulary into something intimate and everyday, its rainbow bands echoing the rhythmic repetition of West African weaving but rendered in synthe.
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