Kuba Cloth Pieces

A vintage handwoven Kuba cloth from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Some of the most striking textiles in our collection are Kuba cloth — handwoven raffia textiles from the Democratic Republic of Congo, worked entirely by hand from the fibre of the raffia vinifera palm.

Many hands, one cloth

Each Kuba cloth is the result of a genuinely collaborative process between men and women. Men weave the base cloth on inclined single-heddle looms from raffia fibre, gathered and prepared from the leaves of the raffia vinifera palm. The woven cloth is then pounded soft in a mortar, before women finish it with embroidery, appliqué, patchwork and natural vegetable dyes in the classic Kuba palette of ivory, brown, clay-red and indigo. A single piece can take days to complete, and the largest prestige cloths are made by joining several panels together.

Patterns with meaning

The geometric patterns — elaborate arrangements of squares and rectangles — aren't random. Each design is individually conceived, then named and handed down through generations, so a single motif can carry a history of its own. Historically, these cloths served as ceremonial gifts and signs of wealth and status, with the grandest examples reserved for Kuba royalty.

We also work the same hand-stitched raffia textiles into cushions, so you can bring the texture and craft of Kuba cloth into everyday use on a sofa or armchair.

Living with Kuba cloth

A vintage cloth is striking framed and hung as a wall piece, where the texture of the raffia and the relief of the appliqué catch the light. It also works well laid flat as a textile throw or runner across a table, bench or the foot of a bed — every piece is a genuine one-off, so no two will ever hang or lie quite the same way. Our cushions bring the same craft into a more everyday piece, layered in with plainer linens and cottons so the pattern has room to stand out.

Because these are natural raffia fibres and vegetable dyes, keep cloths and cushions out of direct sun and away from damp to help the colours and texture last, and spot clean rather than machine washing.

Each cloth and cushion is a genuine one-off, made by hand using techniques passed down through generations.

Shop Textiles & Cushions