Abstract |
The study sought to trace the historicity of the major evolution of the Ghanaian dress culture from 1890 to present, ascertain whether or not young and adult Ghanaian males and females are going wayward in their current dress styles, and assess the impacts of the Ghanaian textile industry on her dress culture. Questionnaire, personal communications, photographic evidence and observation were used in collecting the needed data for the study throughout the country including rural, semi-urban and urban areas. Descriptive research methodology was utilised with the focus population consisting of general dress fashion consumers, students, fashion designers, tailors/seamstresses, cultural officers, traditional and religious authorities from across Ghana. The study revealed that appropriate dressing in democratic Ghana is dressing without breaching constitutional liberties. Ghana has contributed to global dress culture in one way or the other. Most of her major indigenous fashion trends appear in the world over with little or no modification. It was also found that Ghanaian females are going wayward in their current dress styles while the males are generally not. The textile industry have had low positive impacts on the socio-cultural and economic wellbeing of Ghanaians as a result not meeting the demand of most preferred and needed ready-to-wear clothing accessories and dress styles. It is recommended that Ghana must appreciate her unique dress cultural contribution to global dress culture, train more creative fashion designers, consider amendments of her dress fashion laws, policies and practices, as well as reposition her textile manufacturing industries to venture into producing, processing and finishing of her textile raw materials to satisfy local and global demands |