The Intersection of Fashion and Culture, How Style Reflects Society

 

Oxford Dictionary defines Culture as the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. And fashion is a popular or the latest style of clothing, hair, decoration, or behavior. Looking at the above definitions there's no culture without fashion and vice versa. The more you know about a particular culture, , such as the Nigerian culture, the more you can create fashion trends for the culture. 

Tradition Meets Trend 

In this age, everyone wants to wear modern/trending fashion because that's one of the things that classifies you as WOKE. But at the same time, cultural accessories/materials are very alluring that they can be mixed with modern trending fashion to make a very beautiful woke dress/ wear.

Source: LinkedIn

The above picture is of Enioluwa Adeolu, a Nigerian celebrity from the Yoruba tribe. Africans have learned how to accessorize themselves with their cultural accessories just to keep memories alive in a beautiful way. His cap was decorated with cowries which were regularly used in low-value transactions in Nigeria's yesteryears; some gold pins were added at the tip to glamorize the look.

The cowrie has been used in different ways to adorn modern wear like the picture below, others have used it as a necklace, headband, leg chain, hand chain, clutch, etc.

           Source: google lens

Modern fashion is more classy than most Cultural wear. To make a fashion statement in this age you have to think outside the box which is what most fashion designers are doing these days. 

Women naturally don't buy a dress(es) just to cover their nakedness, they want to look elegant, eccentric, and fun while at it (be the center of attention 😉) which is what Bimbo Ademoye dared to showcase with this particular outfit below. Gele is a special piece of material stylishly tied around the head common among the Yoruba culture which was mostly combined with a wrapper and blouse. But Bimbo dared to combine it with a mini gown shown in a contemporary trendy style and a jacket making it quite classy.

    Image Source: Instagram

 Image Source; Instagram 

Nigerians incorporating their cultural uniqueness into every aspect of their life is one of the most elegant and eccentric things that have ever happened to this generation, looking at the Ankara prints jacket of Enioluwa and the popular Yoruba Aso oke jacket of Kunle Remi, we can deduce that cultural accessories have found their way into the modern fashion industry and will not be leaving anytime soon. 

Aso oke for the Yoruba tribes is used by prominent people of the culture, which is now used to make different styles. In fact, big-time fashion gurus have embraced culture in their modern pieces of art. Various movie premiers in the Nigerian entertainment industry have expressed the uniqueness of Nigerian culture. A few examples are King of Boys 1 & 2, award-winning Anikulapo, and Omo Ghetto the Saga to name a few.

Effects of Cultural Accessories in Fashion on Society 

It creates job opportunities

Image source: google lens 

These cowries have at least created job opportunities for at least three categories of people; The producers/Finders, The fashion designers, and Content Creators/Writers/Bloggers. Because without these People's hard work, some people wouldn't have learned about their existence or their value.

A Great Source of Income 

All the above accessories cost a lot of money, on one of the images above a price tag of $35 is attached to a 3 in 1 cowrie shell, imagine selling 5 daily, and about 150 in a month, that's roughly #100,000 thousand plus. If a particular person has about five to ten (5-10) of these materials in large quantities to import and export S/he won't join others to complain about being broke.

Serves as A Means of Identification

The cowries, damask (Gele), Aso oke, and beads can all be traced to Nigerian cultural accessories, mostly the Yoruba tribe. There was a particular time Kerry Washington, an American actress was seen wearing a combination of Gele. It made people probe into what inspired the outfit and it was traced to her spouse from the Igbo tribe of Nigeria. 

It Beautifies the Body

 

Image Source Instagram 

Comparing the above images, we all can agree that the second traditional outfit with green fabric endowed with beads and gele looks more stunning. When cultural accessories are neatly and minimally paired together it brings out such a unique kind of fashion trend.

They promote our culture and reveal our history 

Enioluwa Adeolu is an EU African Ambassador, who wore that particular first image on this post for an event in Togo, The outfit says a lot about the culture and reveals a history that a few might have forgotten. Same as Kunle Remi's Aso oke jacket, most people do not have aso oke in their wardrobes anymore but this will inspire some people to read about it, ask questions from grandmas and create more unique styles.

Conclusion 

The fusion of culture and contemporary fashion has brought about a beautiful blend that highlights the uniqueness of different cultures while still staying modern and trendy. The use of cultural accessories in fashion has not only created job opportunities but has also become a great source of income for many people. These accessories are proof of who we are as not only Africans but proud Nigerians.

The beauty of cultural accessories in fashion cannot be overemphasized as they add a touch of elegance, eccentricity, and fun to any outfit. As we continue to embrace cultural diversity in fashion, we can only hope for more unique styles and trends that celebrate different cultures around the world. 

Interested in knowing more about what Nigerian fashion has in store? Stay tuned and we’d tell you every teeny tiny detail.

Written by Rebecca Ajayi