Custom kanga design
Design your own custom kanga online
A kanga is a printed cloth with a message. JINA lets you write that message yourself and weaves a complete kanga around it: border, centre medallion and saying, in seconds, in your browser.
Free to design and share. Pre-filled with “Your words, in cloth”; change it to anything.
How it works
- Type your message. A name, a blessing, a date, an inside joke, or a Swahili proverb. Up to 90 characters, any language.
- Choose a style and palette. Classic, Reef, Makuti or Bloom, in palettes drawn from Diani's reef, coral, makuti thatch, mangroves and colobus monkeys.
- Remix until it feels right. Every variation is generated from your words, so the same settings always give the same design and you can share the exact link.
- Download. A free watermarked preview, or an HD pack, a true-size 150 × 100 cm fabric file, an event pack or a commercial licence.
What makes a kanga a kanga
Traditional kangas share a layout: a decorative border (pindo), a central motif (mji) and a printed saying (jina, literally “name”). JINA keeps that structure, so your design reads as a kanga, not just a pattern with text on top. Read more in khanga meaning and sayings.
Printing it on real fabric
The Print-ready fabric file is 8858 × 5906 px, which is 150 × 100 cm at 150 dpi, the classic kanga size. Upload it to an online fabric printer or take it to a local textile printer and ask for cotton. See our guide to printing a kanga.
Questions
Is it really free?
Designing, remixing and sharing are free, and you can download a watermarked preview. Paid packs remove the watermark and add high-resolution and fabric files.
Can I use my own language?
Yes. Latin text is set in capitals like traditional coastal kangas; other scripts use your device’s fonts.
Will anyone else have my design?
Designs come from text, so someone typing the identical message and settings would see the same kanga. Personal messages and names make yours effectively unique.