Aso oke fabric, (Yoruba: aṣọ òkè, pronounced ah-SHAW-okay) is a hand-woven cloth created by the Yoruba people of west Africa. Usually woven by men and women, the fabric is used to make men's gowns, called agbada and hats, called fila, as well as women's wrappers, called iro and head tie, called gele.
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, and to make it more accessible for casual wear.[1]
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.
Sanyan type: woven from anaphe wild silk and cotton yarns
Alaari type: woven with either synthetically or locally grown cotton and shinning threads, sometimes with perforated patterns
Etu type: bears dark indigo colours with tiny white stripes noted for their simplicity.[2][3]
They also come in various different colours.
Aso oke fabric can also be worn with another Yoruba fabric called aran, a velvet cloth with concentric designs.
Yoruba women's garment
When people speak of an aso oke, they are usually referring to the traditional Yoruba women's garment, which consists of four parts:[4]
Buba: Yoruba blouse
Iro: wrap skirt
Gele: head tie
Iborun or ipele: shawl or shoulder sash
However Yoruba women's garments is made typically from different Yoruba traditional fabrics, not just Asooke, this includes Adire, Seghosen, and also different types of Lace and Ankara.
Formal wear
Yorubas around the world wear aso oke fabric for special occasions,[5] including holidays, weddings,[6] funerals and chieftain title ceremonies. All followers of the Yoruba religion also wear aso oke fabrics and hats.
