Oh my! You would not believe what people are saying about the African attire now. I am sure I am not the only one who has remarkable views about the African style. So, we shall look at what a few others have to say. Enjoy the ride with me, as we search across the hearts of men as regards the African clothes and accessories.
“I wear only African accessories”; says a Cameroun breed; Anne Nnoko”. The picture above is Anne Nnoko, a 34-years old lady who hails from Cameroun. She’s a lawyer with two master’s degrees, who has taken interest in farming as a profession. Anne has been in Nigeria for the past some months now and has rigorously been a dedicated fan off the African attire, as she is never seen with any wear outside the African fashion and style. 
She also says; “Obasanjo is my favorite leader, he has charisma and promotes the African culture as he wears African attires often”.
Now, if you don’t think that is interesting, ‘I do’.
It is indeed a noteworthy astonishment that our EX- president; General Olusegun Obasanjo could rarely be caught in some English attire. He was ever on the Native like wears that depicts the Yoruba culture. Personally, I have never seen Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on an English attire, which appears quite lovable to me.
Surprisingly, most men in Nigeria, especially in Lagos State wear the traditional Yoruba cloths. This comes in various styles and designs. They have different names depending on the type of design.
When on native attires, they are most times caught with the 4-piece Agbada apparel that is made up of hat, buba, flowing Agbada and pants with embroidery, Babariga- the men’s 4 piece African Babariga clothing apparel comprising a hat, long-sleeved shirt, flowing Buba and pants with embroidery, 3-piece Gbarie outfit- Hand loomed Aso Oke material with matching embroidery.
Here is another incredible story that depicts the essence of the African Fashion.
(Chuckles), trust me, you don’t want to miss this. Just enjoy every bit of it. In 1993, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, former national President of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN) and owner of Rose of Sharon (House of Fashion) travelled to the United States of America to attend the Black Expo Exhibition. She went there again in 1999 and did some shows in New York, Washington D.C. Atlanta, Georgia, Mississippi and Maryland as part of the International Black Buyers and Manufacturers Expo at the Washington D.C. Centre.
At both exhibitions, Folorunsho tried as much as she could to meet up with her western counterparts but failed. This failure later made her realize that she could not compete with the westerners in their own line because they know it better.
‘It is not in the African countries nature to work with fabrics like pure virgin wool’, she thought. Yet, the fashion designer wanted to compete amongst the westerners. She thought of the way to do so. Then suddenly, she got the answer. “Rather than compete with them using their pure virgin wool and their cotton, I opted for something from the eye of Africa.”
So, Folorunsho started working with ethnic fabrics that celebrate Africa, capturing and representing the styles, symbol, sign, dreams, and aspirations of the people. On designs, she decided that it is necessary to understand that fashion is relevant, relative and dynamic. The fashion that is significant to the culture and environment of trade.
The result of her research was the production of designs that were originally African but also embraces contemporary realities. For her, therefore, the designs must be a hybrid of African heritage and exemplary western designs. She felt that this way, new designs would be made without them being wholly African but a blend of Western and African designs.
This research by Folorunsho seems to be the idea controlling the contemporary fashion in Nigeria today. Thus, it has helped enforce the Nigerian design has to its apex of impact in the world fashion scene.
Wow! What a story. It tells me our African culture is rich in tradition, color and excitement; but because of westernization, young people are rapidly losing touch with Africa, especially in their life styles. The African culture is our place to promote in our everyday lifestyles.
Whoa! I enjoyed every bit of today’s African fashion and I bet you did as well. You can only find the best with Cosmic Ray. Feel free to share your views on the African attires. Do you find it fascinating or is it some boring style you would rather not be a fan of?
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