Like other fabrics, kente cloth is woven on a loom. But instead of using a loom the same width as the finished fabric—which might be eight feet wide—Asante weavers use a narrow loom. They weave a very long strip of fabric about the width of a hand. The strip is then cut into pieces, which are sewn together to make the finished cloth.

Patterns can be formed by the warp (the threads that run lengthwise) or the weft (the threads the weaver passes back and forth across the warp). The warp threads, often more than 90 feet long, are attached to the loom before any weaving begins. Their colors remain the same throughout the entire strip. Sometimes the warp shows as solid-color stripes in the finished cloth; sometimes it is completely hidden by the weft. Using the weft in various ways, the weaver forms the pattern blocks typical of kente cloth.

The weaver must measure the pattern blocks carefully as he works. If they are different sizes, the pattern will not line up properly across the finished cloth when the strips are sewn together.

Hundreds of variations are possible for each element of a kente cloth—for the stripes formed by the warp threads, for the designs created with the weft threads, and for the colors used throughout. But Asante weavers rarely invent variations on their own. Instead, they choose from the wide range of designs established by tradition.

Kente cloth had its beginnings in weaving traditions dating back to the 11th century. In the late 1500s, as the Asante empire became powerful and wealthy, traders brought colorful silk fabrics from Italy, India, and North Africa to the region. By the early 1700s, the Asante had begun the practice of unraveling imported fabrics and reweaving the silk threads into splendid fabrics for the royal court and regional chiefs. Kente cloth has been known for its dramatic colors and intricate patterns ever since.

An Asante weaver might know hundreds of patterns by heart, each having its own name. Warp patterns, which are stripes of color, have names taken from proverbs, important chiefs or queen mothers, or historical events. Weft designs are usually named for plants, animals, or objects that the pattern resembles. A finished cloth usually has the same name as the warp pattern. When purchasing a kente cloth, customers often consider the meaning of the names.

In the past, the finest, most intricate kente cloths were reserved for Asante royalty. The Asantehene (the king) had a special assistant whose job it was to select, store, and repair his official wardrobe. Many patterns and designs could be used only on royal cloths. Even among lesser officials, it was bad manners to have a finer cloth than your superior.

Kente cloth has become a symbol of pride in African heritage. Leaders from all over the African continent and elsewhere have adopted it as part of their official dress. Asante people now wear kente for formal occasions much as Westerners wear tuxedos and evening gowns. Kente cloth is often handed down from father to son and mother to daughter as a treasured family heirloom. Today, kente patterns are often reproduced in machine-made and printed fabrics that take far less time to make.

In America, kente is similarly a symbol of pride and unity for many people of African heritage. High school and college students and professors often wear strips of kente as stoles at graduation ceremonies. Colorful kente patterns are used to decorate nearly everything imaginable, from mouse pads to wrapping paper to furniture upholstery, making it possible for people to celebrate African identity in their everyday lives. Kente is also an important symbol during the African American holiday Kwanzaa and on Martin Luther King’s Birthday.