Oyindolapo Adegbile
Fashion is a universal language that has evolved in distinct ways across nations and ethnicities. From traditional clothes to contemporary fashion trends, each group has distinct styles that reflect their origin and culture.
Understanding fashion’s diversity can help to promote inclusivity and celebrate cultural difference. Traditional clothing reflect a society’s cultural legacy, informing the usage of fabrics and textiles in fashion.
Fashion is not only a form of personal expression, but it is also influenced by the cultural context in which it is practiced.
Indigenous artists and designers have used fashion as a tool to challenge and defy fashion tropes.
These textiles share a connection to tradition and opposition to a highly damaging colonial fashion business by reclaiming their past at a period when it was visible, unacknowledged, and marginalized.
Some current Indigenous designers use centuries-old procedures and traditions. We encourage you to support Native designers and Indigenous brands, rather than Native-inspired designs or products.
The Yoruba, who are thought to be the world’s first voodoo practitioners, have a beading heritage dating back to the sixth century and now number over 20 million people. Towering beaded crowns, often depicting birds in flight, are a cultural icon.
However, it is during the yearly Egungun masquerades that the beadwork truly shines, with performers wrapping their entire body in fabrics, many of which are heavily beaded, rendering them unrecognizable.
Adire Textiles’ tie-dye processes have inspired modern designers to use tie-dye in new ways. This old craft has been integrated into modern clothes, bridging the gap between history and modernity.
Yoruba dress continues to be an inspiration for designers, fostering a dynamic exchange between traditional aesthetics and current trends in the global fashion business.
Headgear (Gele): Gele tying is an art form, and gele, or headgear, is an important Yoruba fashion accessory. Gele designs are chosen based on the occasion, and sophisticated tying techniques add sophistication to traditional clothing.
Finally, how we dress and the jewels we wear may convey so much. Indigenous designers incorporate cultures and traditions into their designs. Indigenous peoples have long used traditions and practices to make sustainable and beautiful textiles that not only protect the Earth but also reflect their knowledge, ways of life, and storytelling.