User:MaiteaLatimer1192

Ghana was the first African country to gain independence. A former British colony, it is located in West Africa, bordering Nigeria and Ivory Coast. It is the United States' third largest trading partner in Africa, after Nigeria and South Africa. Its economy has grown substantially this decade as it implements reforms recommended by international financial bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Although the economy has seen strong improvements, the average person in Ghana earns the equivalent of $700 per year, substantially less than employees earn in Nigeria and South Africa.

Because of the low level of earnings the majority of the clothing market is comprised of used apparel.

Importers purchase bales of used clothing that have been donated to American and European charities, and resell the clothing at the retail level. The used clothing is sold at stalls in open markets similar to flea markets, and is exported to other less affluent African countries, such as Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Togo. The used clothing is distributed according to the local buying power, so relatively affluent areas will receive Grade A clothing, while other areas will receive Grade C clothing. Some clothing vendors will hire tailors to repair the lower grade clothing and resell it in their shops in better condition. Wholesalers will attract a following of resellers who meet them at the port when their cargo is unloaded. Because transactions are strictly conducted in cash, security and trust are two important rules in the trade.

While the used apparel category still represents a sizable portion of the total market, the middle class and upper class have a strong preference for new clothing. New fashions are imported from China, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. Imported new clothing ranges from generic clothing mass produced in Chinese factories to fashionable brands resold in exclusive boutiques. The middle and upper class enjoy Internet access and international travel and are therefore familiar with popular brand names.

A small percentage of the workforce in Ghana works in the oil sector, and require work and safety clothes. Recently, the office sector has been developing, creating a demand for dress shirts, with a preference for Kenneth Cole.

In addition, the recent economic upswing has created a booming construction sector which needs professional work clothes, and as a consequence has increased the number of people who can afford to make discretionary apparel purchases.The market for homegrown fashion designers is not significant since most consumers prefer to purchase foreign brands.

Traditional wear is delineated by their location, people living in the North wear the Kente cloth while people living in the South wear a smock. Traditional wear is also dictated by the respective religion of the individual, seventy percent of the population are Christian, fifteen percent are Muslim, with the rest practicing other major religions including native faiths. Each religious group has its own festival clothing requirements, although most men and women wear similar clothing, influenced by their region, in their day to day lives. For a process that is ancient printing on fabric has gone through a very rapid period of development and change in the last ten years.

Screen-printing fabric using flat screens has been the well-established technique for applying colour and design to fabric until recently. This process was suitable for medium to large runs. For very high volume, rotary screen-printing was the normal process. The set up costs to engrave and produce the screens were very high but because of the size of runs they were the most economic.

Small runs were not economic using either of these techniques for fabric printing. This made the small runs very expensive because of the high set up costs and in the flag and banner market small runs were usually either hand printed, appliqud or embroidered.

Then along came the new technique of fabric printing. Digital fabric printing introduced a completely new concept whereby small runs could be done at a far lower cost. Printing digitally onto fabrics made from polyester has now reached new heights thanks to continuous development work by fabric manufacturers who are dedicated to this form of printing on fabric.

Stunning results are now being achieved on fabrics and this can be seen in a wide range of applications from flags, banners, artist's canvas, exhibition graphics, mobile displays, stretch display systems, theatrical back drops, point of sale displays, home furnishings, window blinds, roller blinds etc. Printing on fabric for this ever-increasing range of applications demands careful and continuous research and development. This ensures the fabrics perform well when used on a wide range of digital printing machines with the wide combination of inks from dye-sub water-based inks to UV, solvent and latex inks.

Printing fabrics using dye-sub water-based direct to polyester textiles requires complex chemistry applying to the fabric to ensure the printer gets the optimum performance from the ink, machine and rip used. This will then give high definition, brilliant strong colours and when required for flags excellent print through, for all types of printing on fabric.

Although dye-sub printing polyester fabric probably produces the best results advances in UV inks means that results have improved dramatically in recent years. The inks have become more flexible making suitable for textile printing. In addition to this Latex ink technology also means that these inks are suitable for textiles. This is further evidence of the importance of fabrics for digital printing where textile is replacing traditional media such as PVC. Machine and ink manufacturers have responded well to this challenge by adapting machines and the inks.

A recent development has seen the introduction of two environmentally friendly compostable and biodegradable fabrics called Gossyp (cotton) and Chorus (jute). Printing on fabrics that are compostable and biodegradable is becoming more and more important as landfill taxes continue to rise and not forgetting that polyesters fabrics can of course be recycled. This is especially important for those companies who are aware of the growing demand for more green products. つなぎ