Aso Oke (Ofi) sewn into Agbada outfit and FilaA young lady displaying Ofi AlaariTraditional Aso Oke in Iro, Buba and Gele for women
Aso Oke (Yoruba: Aṣọ òkè), also known by its original name of Òfì, is a hand-woven cloth that originated among the Yoruba people of Yorubaland within the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Benin and Togo. Usually woven by men, the fabric is used to make men's gowns, called agbada and hats called fila, as well as various articles of Yoruba female clothing, such as wrappers called Ìró, blouses called Bùbá, gowns called Komole, head ties called gele, as well as sashes and shoulder shawls called Ìborùn, for both gender, called Ìborùn, used across the neck by men and across the shoulder or hip by women, a second wrapper called Ìpèlé, and so on.:19
Aso Oke is from the Yoruba culture in Kwara, Kogi, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Lagos, and Osun States in western Nigeria and other parts of Yorubaland with the town of Iseyin, in Oyo state historically noted as a major production hub.
Woman putting Aso oke weaving techniques into practice
The way of making the cloth has remained the same for centuries, however new techniques and production methods have been looked into to eliminate the weight and thickness of the Aso Oke cloth. Lighter fabrics make this garment more accessible for casual wear, as many of the locally woven Aso Oke were unsuitable for certain climactic conditions.
Types of Aso Oke
Aso Oke comes in a wide array of various different designs and colours. Aso Oke fabric can also be worn with other Yoruba fabric types, like 'Aran', a velvet fabric with concentric designs.
Other ways that designers have made this old traditional cloth become more modern is to "structurally manipulate and combine animal and floral motifs into definite shapes of grids and geometry, suitable for computer design applications." The basis of more traditional motifs would have originated from fables and folklore. Below are some of the popular Aso Oke types based on colour and design:
Sanyan: Woven from Anaphe wild silk (Anaphe infracta and Anaphe venata) and cotton yarns. The color of the silk gives the sanyan a tan, creamy white or brown color with white stripes running through. In ancient times, Sanyan was the most expensive of all Yoruba woven fabrics.
Alaari: Woven with either synthetically or locally grown cotton and shinning threads, sometimes with perforated (jawu) patterns. The Alaari is usually made in a deep red, crimson or vibrant purple colour, traditionally obtained by dying in camwood (osùn) over several dips.
Etu: Bears dark indigo colours with white stripes in the warp (vertical) direction noted for their simplicity. In ancient times, it was used by chiefs and elders as an important social dress.
Opa Aro: A dark blue woven cloth in solid colour broken with a stripe of green.
Ifun or Fu: A combination of light brown and navy blue woven cloth.
Waka: A woven cloth of solid black background with one or two warp stripes of red.
Aso-ipo, Ifale, Abata, and Aponuponyin which are red woven clothes
Yoruba women's garment
Traditional Yoruba women's garment, usually consists of four parts:
Buba: A blouse
Iro: wrap skirt (or wrpper)
Gele: head tie
Iborun: shawl or sash
Ipele: shoulder shawl or second wrapper
However Yoruba women's garments are made from different other Yoruba traditional fabrics, not just Aso Oke. These includes Adire, Seghosen, Aso Olona, as well as laces and Ankara. Yoruba women garments also include Pakaja/Kaja and hair-beads.
As formal wear
Yorubas around the world wear Aso Oke fabric for special occasions, including holidays, weddings, funerals and chieftain title ceremonies. Designer Kenneth Ize has brought the fabric to international runways, with suiting worn by Naomi Campbell and Imaan Hammam. All followers of the Yoruba religion also wear aso oke fabrics and hats. Aso oke, specifically the etu type is used in the Egungun masquerade. The represented cloth is worn closest to the masker's skin, it has a similar resemblance to a shroud in which the deceased are wrapped in.
Weaving, technique and materials
Some old (vintage) Aso Oke panels
Aso Oke Etu
Vintage Aso Oke
Aso Oke 1800's design
Alaari with Jawu
Aso Oke - Sanyan
The choice of the colour and design used in making the different Aso-Oke types is a reflection of aspects of the beliefs and lives of the Yoruba people, and is usually passed down from one generation to another within family lines. The patterns represent forms of non-verbal communication with each design telling a story. Traditionally, the materials used in the past were locally sourced and included native cotton, local silk from Anaphe caterpillar cocoons, and threads dyed with indigo.
The fabric design tools for the weaving include: the Akata (propeller), Iye (long wheel), Akawo (short wheel), Gowu and Kokogun (rollers), Aasa (striker), Omu (extender used in holding the reel), Okeke (wheel or axel), Odada and Itese (pedals), Agborin (staff), Okuku (strain holder), Sugudu (propeller hanger), Sanrin (metallic peg), Sofi (perforator), and Oko (shuttle).
An Ofi (Aso Oke) weaver using a Flying shuttleA documentary on making Aṣọ Òkè
The technique involves several steps, which include preparing the yarn, which in most cases is made from dyed cotton or silk, setting the loom, and then weaving the fabric. The cotton used in making Aso-Oke is hand made into thread which is combined with other materials in the production. for the yarn are made from natural materials such as onion skin and bark, after which the yarn is made into threads and rolled onto bobbins. After the Yarn is made, the loom is set into two frames consisting of two vertical posts and a horizontal beam. The thread from the warp, which runs vertically, is wound on the beam and threaded through small metal or wooden frames called heddles, which help control the warp thread. The threads that run horizontally (called the weft) are then woven into the fabric with the control use of a shuttle through a technique known as pick and pick, which involves alternating between the two weft threads, thereby making a pattern by so doing on the fabric. During patterning, the canoe reels are hinged upon the hangers on a set of metallic pegs on the ground. This is done to roll the cotton into bundles after which, the actual weaving can begin.
↑Agbadudu, A.B. (2006). "Aso-Oke: a Nigerian classic style and fashion fabric". Journal of Fashion and Marketing and Management. 10: 97–113. doi:10.1108/13612020610651150– via Emerald.
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