[dropcap custom_class=”bl”]The various styles to sew with Adire cloth are becoming more innovative and trendsetting everyday. There is an unmissable hype on the Adire fabric and it has gone beyond using plain old Adire textiles to sew the stereotypical iro and buba, agbada and bubus etc. Now, more fashionable ready to wear Adire pieces are popping up everywhere for stylish millennials.[/dropcap]
In 2017 alone, there has been an amazing trend of styles sewn with different variations of the Adire fabric.
If you are looking for top styles to sew with Adire cloth in Nigeria, then you might want to read this article to the very end, because I guarantee that I am not about to bore you.
On the Bellafricana platform, we have 3 notable Adire producers – Delavi Couture, Adire Lounge and Adire Nation.
You may wonder how or why we have more than one Adire cloth designer on our network and maybe you may also be wondering if there would be some sort of conflict of interest in promoting the individual brands.
To answer your unasked question, No! There is absolutely no conflict of interest at all. Each brand has a unique niche, production design and method that is peculiar to them alone and utterly different from the other.
While Adire Nation focuses more on quality casual ready to wear pieces, Adire Lounge is more in line with Adire fabric production. However, she does have some really cool ready to wear and bespoke pieces that would leave every Afrocentric fashionista drooling.
The Adire fabric is a modern African clothing that originated from Yoruba land. Adire in itself is an indigo dyed textile originally made by the Yoruba women using various resist dye methods. There are 2 different types of adire dyeing;
Adire Oniko includes various methods of resist dyeing like stitching or tying. Originally, raffia was used to tie the cloth and secure small pieces of objects such as stones, seeds or sticks inside the folded piece of fabric to add to the resist and give a certain shape or pattern.
Adire Eleko is similar to batik except it traditionally uses starch as opposed to wax as a resist dying method. A starched pattern is attached to only one side of the cloth using a stencil or freehand.
In the past, the Yoruba men would cut out the stencils while the women would paint the fabric.
Talk about division of labor huh?
Adire is an absolutely fun and cheerful fabric that is (in my opinion) more Afrocentric than Ankara whose patterns are not exclusive to Nigeria alone. Every line, pattern and design on the adire fabric represents something to the creator.
Just in case you were unaware, the Ankara fabric is originally from the Netherlands (but don’t ask, that’s story for another day).
I particularly love the antiquity that the Adire fabric represents and i’m guessing I am not the only one. So look out Ankara, Adire is about ready to kick you to the curb.
Tie and dye is seriously a trendy right now. Style star Noble Igwe and renowned musician Adekunle Gold have increased it’s popularity tremendously. Tennis sisters Serena and Venus Williams have been spotted with Adire kits, top fashion designers are sprinkling Adire on some of their outfits and even singer Iyanya was spotted rocking a baby pink Adire ensemble on his last album cover specially designed by Bellafricana Verified @adirelounge
In the past if my mum had given me an adire dress to wear to my school end of year party, I would have flipped and blown my top off. As a matter of fact, I would have opted out of going to that party than be caught dead wearing a “razz” outfit which is what traditional was to me back then.
Adire was definitely not a cool way to dress when there were bell bottoms, fancy tops and clogs to put on. Who wanted to be called razz?
These days I wouldn’t be seen without an Afrocentric piece on me. I would trade 3 pairs of jeans for a nice adire dress or jumpsuit… I tell you.
Fashion designers in Nigeria and beyond have taken to using Adire fabrics in their various styles and designs . They come up with new and innovative styles to sew with adire cloth both for casual wear and special occasions.
The adire market now offers various styles to sew with adire cloth for fashionistas and Afrocentric lovers. Adire is a true Nigerian thoroughbred. Every dot, line and pattern is symbolic.
The process of adire production is quite tedious but it has created massive job employment in Nigeria. The Adire language is one many people take delight in speaking. Afrocentric fashionistas love to wear styles sewn with adire cloths. There are so many color options for adire today, however indigo was the major color used in the past.
I am so glad that adire has found its way to the millennials, wearing a simple tank top with tailored adire shorts would make you stand out in any gathering.
Below is a list of my top 22 styles to sew with adire. And yes, my list includes a beautiful adire clutch purse proudly made in Nigeria by Leye Lesi
22 styles to sew with Adire Cloth
Follow on Instagram: @delavi_couture @Adirenation @Adirelounge @Meliabyjade @LeyiLesi (for the handbag)
Click to shop bellafricana verified Delavi Couture, Adire Lounge and Adire Nation.
Do you have a friend who makes adire or adire pieces in Nigeria and would like to get their product verified? Kindly send an email to [email protected].
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