For this new release, Maison CF presents an original project that goes beyond the field of photography to explore the history of Wax. This traditional fabric, which emerged on the African continent in the 19th century, features motifs both abstract and figurative in flamboyant colors—and is now coveted around the world. What’s less well known is that each design carries a specific message, which is shared here through its many variations.
Presented in the form of a beautiful book and conceived as a unique kind of encyclopedia, Wax Stories brings together a wide collection of fabrics and deciphers their meanings across various chapters—ranging from love and daily life to nature and animals. The book was conceived and prefaced by Marie-Cécile Zinsou, founder of the Zinsou Foundation in Benin, along with Gabin Djimasse and Sophie Douay, who played a key role in collecting and transcribing the iconography of these wax prints.
A work in its own right, Wax Stories comes in four distinct versions, each reflecting the powerful aesthetic of these textiles, which in recent years have made their way into the world of contemporary creation—from fashion to design to the decorative arts.
