TYPES OF SMOCK AND HOW IS MADE

In a bid to ensure and encourage the wearing of national costume, Dr Kwame Nkrumah declared or made Smock a Battle dress as he was often seen in Fugu. From then forth anybody seen in smock was easily identified as one “ready for battle”. But this notion has gradually been changing as people come to accept the wearing of it.

Over the years the admiration and the patronage for the wear has had a reasonable escalation. This has made people steadily discover the fashionable side of the product as compared to how it was hitherto seen

student in his woven smock

beautifully designed machine sewn smock

Speaking to the Chief Executive Officer of B.Y. clothing, which deals solely in the designing and the supply of smock products about the types of smock, she said, “The two generally known types of smock are the HAND WOVEN and the MACHINE SEWN”. According to her, “the best type which is the hand woven based on it quality and thickness”. The material used for the smock is often got from the three towns in the north precisely, Daboya, Yendi and mostly some parts of Burkina Faso she said.

 According to her, “the fabric for the smock is dyed and made into threads which are used to weave the smock. She reiterated that, the fabric is mixed with cow dung as a means of preservation which often give the smock the rare smell it has”. Speaking on the other type which is the Machine Sewn type,  “she started by saying that, “it is a belief that all who weave smocks are not proficient in using the machine”. She stated that, “the machine sewn type is made of the same fabric as that of the hand woven. It is easily distinguishing from the hand woven type because it is often sewn in patches and the woven type in lines”.

Hand woven smock hanged

New brand made of  smock fabric and  diff fabric

To those who sew, it gives them more room for creativity as more designs takes influx in the growing industry. As many people who adopted and accepted the wearing of smock, has paved a new way for smockers where different materials with the smock fabric to make variety of designs. One woman championing this new era is the C.E.O of B.Y. clothing.

Even though the hand woven type is often sold at exorbitant prices, customers always are in preference of this one because they believe it’s thick and last longer as compared to the machine sewn type which is light in texture. Quizzed about the price tags of smock, the CEO said “the expensive type is the hand woven type which starts selling from ghc25 and up and machine sewn one can even be bought at about ghc10.   

           We should note that SMOCK and KENTE are of the same fabric