Joanne Bubolz Eicher: Trailblazer in the Field of African Textiles, Dress, and Fashion

I first met Joanne Bubolz Eicher in the summer of 1977 at Michigan State University (MSU) where she was then teaching in the Department of Human Environment and Design (Fig. 1). My meeting with her was warm and inviting, and I was all ears as she conveyed all she knew about the Akwete weaving industry I would soon be studying for my PhD. She also introduced me to two of her Akwete Igbo colleagues at MSU, Enyinna and Chijundu Chuta,¹ who, through her encouragement, had already made the essential contacts and arranged a place for me to stay in their village. I was grateful for Eicher's efforts and saw in them the very qualities and abilities that many of us have come to respect and admire in her. Eicher showed me her passion for the subject of African textiles, a willingness to share that vast knowledge with...