Fabrics from Westphalia in Africa? For two companies in Hagen and Herdecke, it was a profitable venture. For many decades, they produced and exported so-called African prints. The publication Muster und Märkte (Patterns and Markets) traces the global interconnections of the Westphalian textile industry.

It begins with two fabric printing companies: Heinrich Habig AG in Herdecke (1809–1966) and Göcke & Sohn AG in Hohenlimburg (1805–1972). From the 1920s to the 1960s, these companies exported to various countries on the African continent. Their “typically African” fabrics reflect global trade relations, migrating motifs, political issues, and (post-)colonial continuities, as well as economic structures and cultural transfers, both historically and in the present day. Against this backdrop, the book unveils an unknown cultural, economic, and design history between Westphalia and the African continent. Historical fabrics, photo­graphs, and documents are complemented by fashion from Afrodiasporic designers and artistic interventions.