A Guide to the Best of Southern California : FASHION : African Textiles

‘YOU KNOW PEOPLE by the fabric they wear,” says Aisha Asadullah, whose Africa By The Yard carries textiles and ready-to-wear items from West Africa nations Sierra Leone, Senegal and the Ivory Coast. Gara, a tie-dye cloth from Sierra Leone, is for the wealthy; all others sport prints. Hand-dyed indigo ($9 a yard) looks splendid draped on the body as well as on home furnishings. Bolts of print with folkloric designs of marketplace scenes ($8 a yard) vie for attention with hand-woven kente cloth.

Africa By The Yard, 4319 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles; (213) 291-1517.