Printed cotton made by a wax-resist process, giving deep colour and a characteristic irregularity on the reverse. Patterns have names and often meanings.

Both the cloth and the garment made from it: a length wrapped around the waist as a skirt. A gift of cloth is also called a pagne.

Can you have clothes made in Ivory Coast?

Yes, and it is how most clothing is obtained. Buy fabric by the metre at the market — six yards for a full outfit — and take it to a tailor. A few days, and a fraction of European prices.

Where do you buy fabric in Abidjan?

Adjamé and Treichville markets for range and price, Cocody for a calmer experience and higher-quality craft. Bring cash.

What should you wear in Ivory Coast?

Light natural fabrics. Beachwear at the coast, but covered shoulders and longer trousers or skirts in towns, villages and official settings. Long sleeves in the evening also help against mosquitoes.

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Wax, pagne and street style: how people dress in Ivory Coast.

Clothing here is not an afterthought. Wax prints in patterns that carry names and meanings, cloth bought by the metre and taken to a tailor, and an Abidjan street style that mixes all of it with trainers and denim. This page explains what the fabrics are, what the garments are called, and how to have something made — which is the best souvenir you can bring home.

Shelves stacked with rolls of colourful wax fabric

Wax fabric on the shelf

Buy cloth, then find a tailor

Ready-made clothing is not really how it works here. You buy fabric by the metre at the market — six yards is the standard length for a full outfit — and take it to a tailor, who measures you and makes it. It costs a fraction of European prices, takes a few days, and produces something nobody else has. Allow the time in your itinerary.