Nigeria

Agbada avaThis outfit looks great – formal and regal. And it’s very different from the popular idea of how African men dress. A lot of people still believe that, in Africa, traditional clothing consists of a loincloth, jewelry, and body paint. That’s not true. We can often describe African folk garments as modest, opulent, and elegant. And agbada is one of such garments, being formal, sophisticated, and beautifully adorned with embroidery.

aso oke avaIn Africa, there are numerous types of traditional textiles produced and used by the local tribes since the beginning of time. In this material, we’ll look at the hand-woven cloth invented by the Yoruba people – the aso oke fabric. The locals in Nigeria and some neighboring territories not only create traditional and ceremonial pieces of clothing from aso oke cloth but even make cute contemporary casual wear from this authentically African fabric.

nigeria avaThe Federal Republic of Nigeria is a not very large, though rather populous country of West Africa. About 150 million of people live in Nigeria. So, the clothing traditions of its population are various. Some of the traditional dresses in Nigeria root back to ancients tribes who lived here centuries ago, others were formed by the influence of British, Portuguese and French colonizers (19-20th centuries). Today many people in Nigeria use modern clothes, western style of attire. But still there are a lot of Nigerians who prefer to wear the traditional dress of Nigeria in everyday life.