Redesign of Functional Kaba (Blouse) Apparel for Ghanaian Breastfeeding Mothers

Abstract

Kaba is considered to be a kind of traditional apparel worn by the women in Ghana. Though, it’s worn to accentuate female modesty, chastity and elegance among the women folks. The modern day woman faces a lot of physical and emotional challenges when it comes to breastfeeding. There is a need to redesign and improve upon the kaba apparel for breastfeeding purposes. This study, therefore, sought to redesign functional kaba apparel for breastfeeding mothers. Based on the apparel design framework of Lamb and Kallal, design requirements were identified from breastfeeding mothers and incorporated into the designed apparel. Five prototype designs were made and tested by three selected mothers towards effective breastfeeding. Findings revealed that the prototype apparels made of fasteners and openings in the horizontal, diagonal and vertical directions with zippers and buttons were said to be suitable, comfortable to use and hence acceptable for implementation. This added functional part of the apparel boosted the comfort and confidence of the mother without compromising on their expressive values.