Grainlines

Mannequin head wearing a orange face mask with a blue and black abstract pattern

Side view of the orange and blue patterned face mask

Detail shot of orange face mask with a blue and black pattern

Inside black lining of face mask with elastic ear loops

Isi Orange Mask with Graphic Teal Design with Black Line Work
Grainlines by Zehna Odwar
Toronto, ON
Printed cotton self (Dutch wax resist), woven cotton lining, elastic ear straps, metal nose wire, polyester thread
September 2020
FRC2021.01.013

Zehna Odwar, founder of Grainlines, has used the brand as a personal project that allows her to explore and dissect her own identity, make her own rules, and connect with her community.

In September 2020, Odwar’s Toronto-based label released a collection of diaspora-inspired non-medical face masks crafted from colourful wax printed cotton, a textile commonly used in African fashion. Wax printed cotton, like that seen on this mask, originated in Indonesia during the 19th century, when it was known as the Dutch East Indies.¹ At the time, the Dutch created a mechanical printing process to imitate the traditional Javanese batik fabrics, though they were unable to produce the same fine details.² The Javanese ultimately rejected these machine-made fabrics, leading the Dutch to seek out new markets, namely West Africa, where they remain popular.³

grainlines.com/ (external link)
@grainlines (external link)

¹ https://www.gathered.how/sewing-and-quilting/sewing/the-story-of-african-wax-print-fabrics/ (external link)
^2-3Historical context found in "Ghanian Woman and Dutch Wax Prints: The Counter-Appropriation of the Foreign and the Local Creating a New Visual Voice of Creative Expression" by Paulette Young.