WHAT IF OVER 150MILLION NIGERIANS ARE CLOTHING THEMSELVES? …..THE NEXUS BETWEEN FASHION, CULTURE AND ECONOMY.
I can knot hundred ties with so much ease in no time but to style just one traditional cap can take me forever with lots of energy. Not to even talk of what I go through trying to ensure the agbada does not fall out of order as I walk.
To be frank, no culture can function in isolation anymore. The world is now a global village and as africans we need to promote our own. African culture is the best and I refuse to be outrighly westernised o.
Overtime, I have settled for an African Western culture Sandwich. With this,I can enjoy the bespoke and smart western outfit without compromising the regal and creative expression of the African attire.
Infact, I look forward to wearing a dansiki and Kembe with Agbada top like our own Ogbeni Aregbesola someday. Anytime he rocks it with a colourful cap to match,It looks so gorgeous on him.
Kudos to great indigenous designers like dowslakers for this bespoke outfits as usual, my sister- Doyinsola Olatunji Akinola ‘s dyhouseoffab for her creativity and incredible designs, my friend – Kunle Ajadi ‘s Wecis clothing for his very amazing and top notch designs and our own recently unveiled Ijinle clothing line tailored by selected O’yes cadets who were trained by the Osun State government to key into the estimated $4.7 billion Nigeria’s apparel and footwear market. Sadly, a greater part of the over 1.6trillion Naira is spent on foreign clothing annually..
Clothing ourselves simply means having more of our african or what I call the african western sandwich. Economically speaking, this tranlates into getting a bigger share of the $4.7billion spending on cloth and footware locally, employment and job oppotunities,wealth creation and foreign exchange ,others include preserving our heritage, promoting our culture and securing our future.
That is the nexus between fashion,culture and economy.
Africa is my home.
Yoruba is my root.
Proudly Naija!
Happy Weekend.
‘Tunde
