Traditional African clothing is famous for its vibrant colours and intricate patterns. It is proudly worn by African men and women across the continent and in the diaspora. While there are countless clothing styles across the African continent, let’s start by taking a look at some notable textiles worn in Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Nigeria.
Nigeria Clothing
Nigeria hosts 300 tribes, which have their distinct styles and traditions. A woman of the Igbo tribe who chose to remain anonymous reveals “All wrappers worn by Igbo women have no specific pattern, but rather there are different designs and different names and prices. There are two types of wrappers which are called ‘George Wrapper’ and ‘Lace Wrapper.’ George Wrapper has different names.” Chinedu Eme Igwe, another woman of the Igbo tribe adds: “the Igbos wear ukpo, george, ntorika, lace, isi evi and others.” A wrapper is a full-length skirt worn by African women in the Sub-Saharan region. It is made using fabric made of various materials that are tied around the waist. The Igbo style typically consists of a head tie, a short or long-sleeve blouse and a wrapper skirt. The head tie and garment used for the skirt are usually the same colour and fabric. “In Western part of Nigeria, we have Adire, Capala, Asò-Òkè, Akara and lace. They can use it to sew Iro and buba, that's their traditional skirt and blouse.” The traditional clothing of the Yoruba tribe, who are located in south-western Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, is called Asò-Òkè, or at times referred to as Aso-Ofi. It is a hand-woven fabric usually worn by men, but it is also used to make women’s wrappers. Asò-Òkè is the norm for special occasions and friends or family tend to wear similar colours to symbolise unity. There are three types of Asò-Òkè: Alaari, which is a rich red and is popular among notable individuals; Saanyan, which is usually a light brown and Etu, a dark blue Asò-Òkè. A Yoruba woman’s outfit would customarily include Gele, which is the head tie, Buba, a loose fit blouse, Pele, a shawl that is placed around the waist or over the shoulder and Iro, a large wrap-around skirt. Hausa people inhabit most of Northern Nigeria, and their style is notably different from other Nigerian tribes. Hausa women are known for their alluring jewellery and creative body paints. Their dresses imitate the “mermaid style” and are completed with turbans and a long veil.
Ghana Clothing
Ghana is home to the well-known kente cloth, a recognizable hand-woven textile. It is woven into three or four long panels. Kente was firstly worn by royals of the Akan ethnic group. Women normally wrapped the cloth around their body, under their arms as a shawl or as a skirt. The colours of the pattern have various connotations. For instance, white represents purity, yellow signifies richness and royalty, whereas purple symbolizes femininity, and as a result, is only worn by girls and women.
Sierra Leone Clothing
When describing how women wear traditional African clothing in Sierra Leone, Jenneh Mason, a Sierra Leonean fashion designer says “African garments are worn in loads of different ways and for different reasons... as is normal, there are different qualities of fabric which makes the choices quite difficult at times as everyone’s financial standing in life is different! For weddings the bride/groom usually chooses Ankara or cotton as we call it in Sierra Leone. Family and friends sew whatever they desire and it’s always beautiful to see the same fabric in hundreds of different styles. The Krios are known for wearing “Print” which is the name they gave to the fabric and the style. This is worn by all now, but in days gone by this was only worn by Krios,” she adds. “Different tribes wear their tie-dye fabric for occasions (I.e Fente/Kola Gara/ country clothe/ ronko etc.) the women don their ‘Africana’ as we call it with pride for most occasions these days with Western Mules, slip-on shoe, sandals or whatever looks glam, with matching handbags. Gone are the days when our women wore just western clothes for grand occasions—we are all being styled as Proud Africans now!” When asked whether Sierra Leonean garments have a particular pattern or print, Mason says “It varies! The Krio print has a specific pattern that makes it unique. The tie-dye patterns also have names and styles as well like ‘kolingie.’ The fente has the style it’s done as well depending on the request of the client.”
South Africa Clothing
Like other African countries, South African fashion and culture differs among the tribes. For instance, women of the Ndebele ethnic group wear beaded aprons. Little girls wear them and are bestowed with a parentage apron known as isiphephetu when they are older. Married women exchange their isiphephetu aprons for leather aprons adorned with geometric patterns. This is when women begin covering their chests with striped or beaded blankets. Among the Zulu people, royals are the only ones permitted to wear leopard skin because leopards are deemed the king of all predators. Zulu women’s dress is dictated by their age and marital status. Young girls wear short, grass-reed skirts with beading while married women cover their entire body with thick cowhide skirts, along with a garment to shield their breasts. They, of course, still wear their beaded necklaces.
Ethiopia Clothing
When asked whether Ethiopian fabric has a name, Eyerusalem Markos, Social Media Assistant and Marketing Generalist at Eri2Eri, a Habesha Social Network says “Ethiopian fabric is known as Shemma.” Yetbarek Assfa, General Manager at Ethiopian Clothing based in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Abeba, adds “even though they are all made of cotton they have different names according to their texture such as Menen and Tirtir.” “Ethiopia is a multicultural country but most Ethiopian women wear Tibeb (one of our cultural cloth) for special occasions like wedding, holidays and any festivals,” says Assfa. While Markos stated that “Ethiopians wear a traditional dress called Habesha kemis, a white handwoven cotton clothing. It is an ankle-length dress and is accompanied by sleeves and a bodice. It is mad out of cotton, which is also known as shema, and woven into long stripes. These stripes are then sewn together. The Habesha kemis is decorated with hand embroidery and Tilet or Tibeb of bright and beautiful colours on the top and middle of the dress as well as on the bottom wrist and neck. Women like to wear a scarf called Netela which matches the fabric and pattern of the dress." Regarding a particular pattern of Ethiopian fabric, Markos confirms “Ethiopian fabric comes in different patterns, there isn’t a particular pattern to it.” Assfa adds that the pattern “has the designs represent our religion and some historical figures but they are named by the people who make them (shemane) the names are different accordingly.”
Uganda Clothing
Like several African countries, Uganda does not have one national dress for all. Each tribe has their distinguished attire, which is predominantly worn for festive occasions. Ugandan women popularly wear Gomesi, a brightly coloured dress with a full skirt, square neck, tapered sleeves, two large buttons and a waistband tied in a bow. Western Ugandan women often wear suuti, which includes three garments: kikoyi, which is an undergarment, a short-sleeved dress and a shawl to cover the shoulders. There are slight differences in the way the tribes wear suuti. For instance, Banyankole women place the shawl on one side of their shoulder and leave the rest hanging down, while Batooro women place the shawl on both shoulders and attach some of it under both arms. Omushana is another classic dress worn by Western Ugandan women. It derives from Rwanda and includes a short-sleeved blouse or vest, a wrapper skirt tied on top of the blouse and a shawl fastened on one side of the shoulders.
African fashion’s influence in the Western world
“As a Designer watching African fabric make its way into Western fashion isn’t new to me, or surprising,” says Mason. “The pure elegance, beauty, and happy colours in our fabric had to find its way into the West [eventually]. I have always [made] my clothes to fit into the western world: shirts, dresses, flowing bubus—these are my forever pieces. It’s heartwarming to see it happen and us designers need to actually get the praise as we never gave up pushing our clothes and our culture.” The countries mentioned here, exhibit the beauty of African fashion and culture. The next time you are planning to attend a momentous occasion, you might consider trying diverse tribal styles to complete your look or a ready-to-wear item fabricated from Asò-Òkè, kente or fente colour your wardrobe and effortlessly pay homage to the continent’s vast culture.