ARCHIVE / Lagos / Needle drop
Archive1960
ArchiveNG
Now sampling1960
Lagos 6.5244 N, 3.3792 E

ARC 003 / FASYear 1993Aso Oke to streetwear

Fashion

Aso Oke looms, Owambe Aso Ebi codes, and Lagos tailors who turn Ankara and agbada into daily statements.

Figure wrapped in flowing white cloth standing on dark volcanic rock above a sea of clouds at dusk1993Placeholder photo by Robin Benad / Unsplash, swap in licensed scan
Figure wrapped in flowing white cloth standing on dark volcanic rock above a sea of clouds at dusk
Lead artifact / Robin Benad
Man standing in a striped aso oke agbada gown and matching cap
In the field / Jeremyida002
Weaver working a narrow strip loom with colourful threads
Loom width / Pet002
A Yoruba bride in a lace buba blouse and a tied gele headwrap
Owambe code / Jamie Tubers
A Nigerian fashion designer surrounded by a circle of cloth and prints
Tailor marks / Amos Usulogbo
Loose print / Clarke Sanders
Loose print / Alex Iby
Loose print / Nik MacMillan
Loose print / Tuce
Loose print / Comete El Coco

Context

Yoruba strip weave, Igbo George wrappers and Hausa embroidery set the grammar. Owambe parties turned family uniform into public design review every Saturday.

Idea

Cloth is language. Pattern, weight and drape say where you stand, so we file garments with occasion and tailor notes, not just designer names.

Weaver working a narrow strip loom with colourful threadsPet002 / CC BY 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Loom width

Aso Oke strips measured in fingers and shuttle passes, with dye recipes where weavers share them.

A Yoruba bride in a lace buba blouse and a tied gele headwrapJamie Tubers / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Owambe code

Aso Ebi selections from the nineties, colour, gele fold and shoe pairing kept together.

A Nigerian fashion designer surrounded by a circle of cloth and printsAmos Usulogbo / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Tailor marks

Chalk lines, paper patterns and shop signs from Yaba and Aba, photographed in place.

Outcome

Launch set holds 36 garments with tailor credits and care notes for rewear, not glass cases.