Koko Dunda: the artisanal textile from Burkina Faso with unique patterns
Koko Dunda: a textile from Burkina Faso with patterns that cannot be repeated
Some textiles tell a story from the very first glance. Koko Dunda, born in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, is one of them.
Made from 100% natural cotton, this handcrafted fabric stands out for its free-flowing, almost painterly patterns. Colours seem to settle into the fibres like flashes of light, creating unpredictable compositions as pigments blend and spread with a fascinating spontaneity.
Every piece is different. Pigments soak into the cotton, cross paths and overlap, revealing patterns that can never be reproduced exactly.
It is precisely this element of unpredictability that gives Koko Dunda its distinctive character.
A textile born in Bobo-Dioulasso
Koko Dunda originated in Bobo-Dioulasso, a major cultural centre in Burkina Faso and a historic crossroads for West African trade.
Its name is linked to the Koko neighbourhood, where this textile craft developed and was passed down through generations. In these workshops, familiar actions have long been repeated: preparing the fabric, handling the material, applying colour and revealing the patterns.
Over time, it has become one of the country's emblematic fabrics, admired for its expressive character and free-flowing patterns.
A name rooted in the city
The name Koko Dunda is associated with Koko, a historic neighbourhood of Bobo-Dioulasso near the central market. Accounts do not all agree on when the textile first appeared, but they place its development and transmission in this city, where dyeing is an important part of craft life.
That story is still being written in the workshops. Fabrics circulate, techniques are passed on, and each dyer develops a personal way of guiding colour, preparing areas that resist the dye and revealing patterns.
A traditional hand-dyeing technique
Koko Dunda begins as white cotton fabric, the canvas for a dyeing process carried out entirely by hand.
Before the pigments are applied, the fabric is handled, folded, crumpled or compressed. These actions create areas of resistance that affect how the colour spreads.
As the pigments penetrate the fibres, organic patterns gradually emerge: splashes of colour, unexpected transitions and vivid contrasts.
Once unfolded and dried, each piece reveals a unique composition.
A fabric that cannot be replicated
Unlike industrially printed fabrics, Koko Dunda cannot be standardised.
The slightest change in a fold, the density of the cotton or the spread of pigment affects the final result. Even when makers repeat the same actions, the colours and patterns always develop differently.
Each textile is therefore a unique creation, with unpredictability an integral part of the process.
A craft sustained by women
In many workshops across Burkina Faso, Koko Dunda is made by craftswomen who keep this skill alive.
Techniques are passed from generation to generation, often within families or communities. Each maker gradually develops a personal touch and an eye for colour.
Beyond its visual appeal, the textile helps sustain a craft heritage and support the local economy.
Koko Dunda at Studio Matongé
At Studio Matongé, our work begins with selecting kokodunda fabrics from our supplier. We choose which will become DUNDA tablecloths or KUMASI cushion covers, guided by their colours, patterns and the purpose we have in mind for them.
Studio Matongé selects the materials, decides how to use them and designs the products. The tablecloths and covers are sewn in Brussels by Muliéris, a sheltered sewing workshop. This brings together the skill of the artisans who dye the fabric in Burkina Faso and our approach to how materials can be used and combined.
It is part of our approach to design and curation: bringing different decorative styles together through pieces that help you create a home that reflects you.
DUNDA tablecloths in kokodunda
For DUNDA, Studio Matongé gives the selected fabrics a place at the table. The tablecloths celebrate the variations of hand-dyed cotton and are sewn by Muliéris in Brussels.
Discover DUNDA kokodunda tablecloths
- DUNDA Bougainvillée tablecloth
- DUNDA Amber Nights tablecloth
- DUNDA Iris tablecloth
- DUNDA Lagune tablecloth
To set your table, pick a colour from the cloth and echo it in your tableware, or pair it with plain ceramics and woven pieces. The fabric brings objects of different styles together in a way that feels like you.
KUMASI cushion covers in kokodunda and velvet
For KUMASI, Studio Matongé selects the kokodunda fabrics and pairs them with a plain cotton velvet reverse. The covers are designed by the studio and sewn by the Muliéris workshop in Brussels. The contrast between pattern and velvet gives each piece its character and softness.
Discover KUMASI kokodunda and velvet cushion covers
- KUMASI Canopée
- KUMASI Savannah
- KUMASI Aurore
- KUMASI Iris
- KUMASI Lagune
- KUMASI Terre Brûlée
- KUMASI Horizon
- KUMASI Nuit Indigo
On a contemporary sofa, beside a vintage armchair or alongside linen and bogolan cushions, KUMASI brings colours and textures together. A shared shade creates continuity; a bolder contrast gives your arrangement a more distinctive feel.
When resist dyeing meets leather
Koko Dunda is first and foremost a textile craft. On cotton, folds, creases and ties create areas that resist the dye before successive dye baths. Colour finds its way between the bound areas and, when the fabric is opened, reveals lines and transitions that are always unique.
In leatherwork, this visual language can be extended in two ways. Genuine Koko Dunda fabric can be bonded to leather, or the principle of resist dyeing can be adapted directly to the hide. DEÑC-MITI follows the second approach: no fabric is glued to the box and no pattern is printed.
The leather is first prepared and lightly dampened to make it more supple. It can then be folded, crumpled or held in place to create areas of resistance that guide the colour. Because leather does not tolerate prolonged immersion in hot water, dye is applied locally or through very brief contact with a cold dye bath. The leather then dries in the shade before receiving a protective finish that helps stabilise its colours.
An element of unpredictability remains. The pressure of the folds, the movement of colour and the grain of the leather create a pattern that cannot be reproduced exactly.
DEÑC-MITI: from textile to object
With DEÑC-MITI, the visual language of Koko Dunda meets wood and leather. The box is handmade in Senegal by the same artisan tanner who makes the leather baskets selected by Studio Matongé. Its round wooden structure is covered in leather, from the lid to the interior.
The pattern is created by hand directly on the leather, using resist dyeing adapted to this material. DEÑC-MITI is therefore not made from Koko Dunda cloth: the leather itself is folded, prepared to resist the dye and coloured. This distinction recognises Koko Dunda as a textile craft while showing how its visual language can inspire work in another material.
Available in three sizes and several colour compositions, each box is the exact piece shown in its photograph. Variations in the placement of the pattern are part of the object and make each piece unique.
A textile full of life
In a world where textile production often strives for perfect repetition, Koko Dunda celebrates the unpredictable.
Every piece bears the marks of gesture, material and time. Variations in colour and spontaneous patterns become the signature of a textile full of life.
This singular character makes it one of the most fascinating fabrics in West African textile craftsmanship today.
A collection shaped by colour
From DUNDA tablecloths to KUMASI cushion covers, Koko Dunda preserves the direct trace of dye on cotton. With DEÑC-MITI, its language of folds, resist techniques and colour is interpreted through dyeing directly on leather, while keeping the original fabric distinct from the leather-covered object.
The Koko Dunda — Textiles and Objects collection brings these pieces together through a shared approach to colour: colour that varies, moves and transforms everyday use.
