1. TEXTILE WORLDS: The Art and Intelligence of Cloth
Cloth has always been a powerful language of creativity, identity and expression. Across the country, generations of weavers, dyers, embroiderers and makers developed extraordinary traditions of textile production.These textiles were never simply decorative. Their patterns, colours, textures and methods carried knowledge, expressed belonging, marked status and occasion.From the resist-dyed patterns of Adire and the woven traditions of Aso-Òkè to the geometric sophistication of Akwete, the ceremonial elegance of Akwa Ocha, the woven cloths of the Tiv, and the indigo and embroidery of Northern Nigeria, each textile world developed its own visual language. Much of this innovation was driven by women.Yet these traditions were never static. What we recognise today as traditional cloth is itself the product of generations of adaptation and reinvention.Here, the story begins with the makers themselves.
LIST OF WORKS
1. AKWETE, WOVEN TEXTILES
Akwete, Abia State, Southeastern Nigeria
Vintage pieces, dates unknown; contemporary pieces, 2026 · Handwoven textiles
The vintage pieces come from the Igbe Akwa, the family cloth chest, of the designer Ugo Monye’s grandmother: cloths she wove and kept, and others she inherited from the women before her. Some are believed to be over a century old. His mother began weaving at seven and has woven for more than sixty years; he is a fourth-generation Akwete weaver.
In Ndoki, Akwete weaving has been a women’s inheritance, its patterns passed within families. The contemporary pieces are woven for Emmy Kasbit.
Vintage pieces courtesy of Ugo Monye, from the Igbe Akwa of his grandmother
Contemporary pieces courtesy of Emmy Kasbit
2. AKWA OCHA, WOVEN TEXTILES
Anioma, Delta State, Nigeria
Vintage and contemporary examples · Handwoven cotton, white; some with supplementary-weft motifs and woven lettering
Akwa Ocha, meaning “white cloth,” is a distinctive weaving tradition of the Anioma people of Delta State. Characterised by its predominantly white background and intricate woven patterns, it has long been associated with cultural identity, ceremony and occasions of significance.
These vintage and contemporary examples demonstrate the continuity of the weaving tradition, while revealing variations in pattern, texture and technique.
Vintage textiles courtesy of Ugo Monye
Contemporary Akwa Ocha courtesy of the collection of Reni Folawiyo
3. IJEOMA VIRGINIA AJOKU, SEAMSTRESS — LACE BLOUSES: A LIVING TAILORING TRADITION
Balogun Market, Lagos, Nigeria
Contemporary, in longstanding styles · Lace; locally tailored
For decades, seamstress Ijeoma Virginia Ajoku has continued making elaborate lace blouses in styles associated with earlier generations of Nigerian women’s dress. Their distinctive sleeves, decorative detailing and intricate construction reflect a tailoring tradition sustained through skilled craftsmanship and enduring customer demand.
Her practice demonstrates how fashion histories survive not only through archives and celebrated designers, but through local seamstresses and tailors who continue to make and reinterpret familiar forms.
Courtesy of ALÁRA collection
4. A’NGER, TIV WOVEN CLOTH
Tiv people, Benue State, Nigeria
Date unknown · Handwoven wool, black and white stripes
Distinguished by its bold black-and-white stripes, A’nger is an important expression of Tiv cultural identity.
Traditionally worn during ceremonies, celebrations and significant communal occasions, the cloth reflects the enduring relationship between weaving, dress and belonging.
Its distinctive striped pattern remains a recognisable symbol of Tiv heritage, connecting generations through a shared textile tradition.
Collection of ALÁRA
5. AKWA OCHA, CONTEMPORARY CEREMONIAL DRESS
Anioma, Delta State, Nigeria
Contemporary · Handwoven Akwa Ocha with applied beadwork and embellishment
Created for a family wedding celebration, this garment illustrates the continuing transformation of Akwa Ocha through contemporary dressmaking and embellishment.
Elaborate beadwork applied directly to the traditionally woven cloth transforms it into an expression of ceremonial fashion, connecting inherited textile practices with changing ideas of occasion wear.
Courtesy of Mrs Michelle Okocha
6. UGO MONYE, CEREMONIAL LOOK
Lagos, Nigeria
Contemporary
Courtesy of Ugo Monye
7. AṢỌ-ÒKÈ, YORUBA WOVEN DRESS
Yoruba, Southwestern Nigeria
Dates unknown · Handwoven textile, tailored garments
Courtesy of Mrs Simidele Ogunsanya and the collection of Mrs Reni Folawiyo
8. SOKOTO, AṢỌ-ÒKÈ, EMBROIDERED TROUSERS
Contested · Yoruba, Southwestern Nigeria; Northern embroidery
Dates unknown · Etu cloth, hand-embroidered in gold thread
Courtesy of Mrs Simidele Ogunsanya
9. AṢỌ-ÒKÈ, GEOMETRIC WOVEN TEXTILES
Yoruba, Nigeria · Possibly Kwara State
Dates unknown · Handwoven narrow-strip textiles
These textiles demonstrate the remarkable complexity of Yoruba weaving traditions, in which individually woven strips are joined to create larger compositions.
Bold geometric patterns, intricate supplementary-weft motifs and contrasting bands of colour reveal the technical skill and creative ingenuity of the weavers.
Although different in appearance, both textiles illustrate the possibilities of pattern, texture and structure within the Aṣọ Òkè tradition.
Courtesy of Mrs Simidele Ogunsanya and Mrs Reni Folawiyo
10. AṢỌ-ÒKÈ, IRO AND BUBA
Yoruba, Southwestern Nigeria
Date unknown · Handwoven Aṣọ Òkè, tailored two-piece ensemble
The iro and buba are enduring forms of Yoruba women’s dress, worn across generations and adapted to changing tastes and occasions.
Made from Aṣọ-Òkè, this ensemble combines traditional weaving with tailored construction. Its distinctive stripes and geometric patterns demonstrate the interplay of colour, texture and design within Yoruba weaving traditions.
The ensemble reflects the continuing relationship between textile production, cultural identity and the evolution of Nigerian dress.
Courtesy of Mrs Simidele Ogunsanya
11. ADIRE, INDIGO TEXTILES
Yoruba, Southwestern Nigeria · Abeokuta and Osogbo traditions
Dates unknown · Indigo-dyed cotton, various resist-dye techniques
From the private collection of Betty Okuboyejo (Betti-O), assembled over her lifetime and preserved by her children through the Elizabeth Okuboyejo Foundation.
Courtesy of the Elizabeth Okuboyejo Foundation
12. THIS IS US, FANTASTIC MAN
Lagos and Kano, Nigeria · Cotton from Funtua, Katsina; dyed at Kofar Mata, Kano; woven at Maitsidau
Contemporary · Funtua cotton in loose, twill and dobby weaves; adire eleko; hand-dyed indigo; hand embroidery. Made in collaboration with POST IMPERIAL
Pieces made entirely from Nigerian cotton: a loose-weave white shirt in the cloth once used for turbans and shrouds; trousers in a freehand adire eleko print drawn in cassava paste by craftswomen in Kano; a shokoto in 22 cm hand-woven indigo strips from Maitsidau; an overshirt in the label’s Checkerbox plaid, dyed at the Kofar Mata pits; and the Siri strip babbanriga, made from 1 cm turkudi strips woven at Dawakin Kudu, its seams left visible and its indigo graded like the dye bath.
The white shirt and trousers are made with POST IMPERIAL.
Courtesy of THIS IS US
13. HUE, DRESS
Lagos, Nigeria
Contemporary
Courtesy of Hue
14. NKWO, STRING CAPE
Abuja, Nigeria
Contemporary · Dakala™ Strings: textile waste braided into strings and formed into panels
The String Cape is made from Dakala™ Strings, a variation of the waste textile NKWO invented to reduce textile waste while keeping traditional weaving skills in work. Textile waste is braided into strings and formed into panels, which are then built into the garment.
It was worn by Naomi Campbell on the digital cover of Vogue Arabia and shown in the Naomi exhibition at the V&A.
Courtesy of NKWO
15. INDIGO FROM KOFAR MATA
Kano, Northern Nigeria
Contemporary · Indigo resist-dyed cotton
For centuries, Kano has been an important centre of textile production and indigo dyeing. At the historic Kofar Mata dye pits, generations of dyers have developed and transmitted specialist knowledge of preparing dyes, manipulating cloth and creating patterns through resist techniques.
Courtesy of Alara collection
16. SAKI, HAUSA WOVEN CLOTH
Hausa, Kano State, Northern Nigeria · Woven at Maitsidau, Kano
2026 · Handwoven narrow-strip cotton (bunu Saki)
Saki is a narrow-strip cloth woven by men on the horizontal loom in the villages around Kano. Mallam Abubakar, whose family has woven at Maitsidau for generations, wove this piece for the exhibition.
He notes that hand-spun yarn has gone from the trade; today’s Saki is woven from mill yarn and, for brides and brands, metallic thread.
Woven by Mallam Abubakar, Maitsidau
Courtesy of Khadija Dikko
