Traditional Dresses: You’ll Never Find These 3 Outside Africa

Blessed beyond imagination, Africa, the continent with the second largest population in the whole world, is a place to visit. The wonderful countries that make up the continent have a thousand and one stories to tell of their ancestry, and their love for traditional dresses; an integral part of their culture.

From Nigeria to Ghana, and Botswana down to South Africa and Kenya, to mention a few countries, the long list of African traditional attire is endless, and they are quite unique to each tribe.

Some of these garments are mostly worn on special occasions especially during festivals, although they are gradually becoming more formal and can now be casually worn – the Agbada/Boubou is a typical example.

Here are 3 Traditional Dresses Only Africans Rock

1. Pagne: Otherwise referred to as a wrapper, this is one of the most common traditional wear in Africa. It is often included as part of a bride or groom’s traditional wedding dresses. The Pagne is worn from the east to west and from the north to the southern part of Africa. It’s often worn alongside a top (blouse) and a head tie, the type the Yorubas of Nigerian call “gele”. In Nigeria, it is called ogodu in Igbo and iro in Yoruba.

2. Aso Oke: The Aso Oke fabric is owned solely by the Yorubas of Nigeria.It is hand woven by them alone, just as the Tivs hand-weave their own clothing which is popularly known as A’nger. The Yorubas use the Aso Oke fabric to make other clothing like the Agbada, iro as well as the men’s hats otherwise called fila, the women’s shoulder sash called Iborun or the blouse called the Buba. The Aso oke is of three types;

1. the Alaari – red in color
2. the Sanyan, – brown in color
3. the Etu – dark blue in color, and is mostly worn during important occasions.

3. Lace: The lace here doesn’t refer to our shoe laces… No, it is actually a piece of clothing made from yarn with open patterns all around it. The lace is often referred to as Air Conditioner Aso Oke by the Yorubas.

More updates coming soon… Stick around!