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The Gingham Girls

gingham girls by Alexandra King

Just 18 of the women from my research into gingham throughout history and today. The women who wore it, picked it and wove it. The cotton pickers are central to gingham's story, the workers and how throughout history and the world we have all used gingham.  Read the original research post here.

1. Maasai

Everything starts in Africa and India and Mexico .... The check pattern was present in Ancient Egypt and people in Africa, India, South America and every hot country used cotton. The Massai used the check in reds in a similar way to tartan to describe status. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

2 America

Apparently when Columbus arrived in America they thought they were in India due the decorative woven fabrics the Native Americans wore. Including a gingham check. In Mexico cotton cloth was found dating back 7000 years.

gingham girls by Alexandra King

3 Borneo

The women of Borneo dressed for festivals in men's robes including a check cotton cloth. Checks were used in the same way as tartans as decoration and identity. The weaving of the two dyed cloths symbolizes good and evil.  

gingham girls by Alexandra King

4 Malaysia

After the Dutch colonized Malaysia they imported Gingham into Europe. The word Genggang thought to be forming the word Gingham comes from Malaysia. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

5 Japan

100% cotton gingham is still woven today in Japan. Used in spiritual ceremonies and fashion. In a culture that combines modernity with tradition is a perfect fabric. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

6 Gullah GeeChee

America was built on cotton and the use of enslaved people kidnapped from Africa. These people were used to pick cotton, weave cotton and also wore cotton and gingham. Its seen as the all American wholesome fabric but the people and cultures who went into this fabric must never be forgotten. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

7 Brazil

Cotton is still gown today in Brazil and has been part of traditional dress throughout history.

gingham girls by Alexandra King

8 Princess Sarah Forbes Bonetta in a Victorian gingham cotton crinolined gown worn by many important women of the day including Queen Victoria's God daughter.

gingham girls by Alexandra King

9 Frida Khalo

Frida Khalo was photographed in gingham and beautiful woven cottons. A liberal, socialist the wearing of gingham as a workers fabric along with traditional Mexican dress was considered in her style. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

10 Dorothy 

One of the most famous gingham dresses in Hollywood. That little blue farm girl dress. Wholesome, pure, feminine and rural, the weave really set off the red ruby slippers. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

11 Brigitte Bardo

Married in Gingham in France, Brigitte Bardo sparked an obsession with gingham in fashion. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

12 Mod Skinhead

The mods and skinheads were working class teenagers using what was affordable workwear to form their style and identity. Wearing brands such as Ben Sherman and Fred Perry. Pauline Black of The Selecter and Polly Styrene of X Ray Specs both wore gingham. It was later stolen by fascists which must be ignored and separated from the skinhead origins.

gingham girls by Alexandra King

13 India

Another place where gingham originated firstly as a stripe. India was and still is today experts in weaving cotton. Organic and fairtrade gingham is produced here today. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

14 Uzbekistan

A producer of cotton cash crops today and a place where people are being forced to pick cotton as national labour. Cotton still has a dark present. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

15 Mali Africa

Mali is a moderate cotton grower and a fairtrade cotton producer today. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

16 Cotton is grown and produced in Pakistan today, picked by women in the Sindh region. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

17 China - the largest producer of cotton in the world and the biggest manufacturer of fabrics including gingham today. Check your cotton is fairtrade and organic. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King

18 Gingham Girl - our girl made up of all the cultures and people who weave gingham today. She is our mascot of us all woven together through a simple fabric like gingham. She represents us as humans, identities, ideas, cultures, genders and skin tones all woven together throughout the world. 

gingham girls by Alexandra King