Adire is a textile consisting of resist-dyed cloth produced and worn by the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria in West Africa. The Yoruba label adire, which means "tied and dyed”. The material was made with Teru (local white attire) and Elu (local Dye).
Formally known to be a family business. Mothers passed the techniques down to their female children and the wives of their sons. For a long time, people who were not from a certain family were not allowed to partake in adire production as it was a part of the family’s heritage. Adire was first produced in Jojola’s compound of Kemta in Abeokuta by Chief Mrs. Miniya Jojolola Soetan. The second Iyalode (Head of Women) of Egba land.
Resist-dyeing involves creating a pattern by treating certain parts of the fabric in some way to prevent them absorbing dye. Traditionally, adire was dyed indigo (dark blue) made from elu leaf which is planted in the Saki area of Oyo state. Indigo has a lot of health benefits. If worn most of the time, the wearer will not have any case of hypertension or diabetes.
By the 1960s a growing availability of chemical dyes from Europe caused a revolution in color and techniques. This attracted the Nigerian fashion designers who now adapt the designs to print high-quality cloth and have transformed the art of adire into an entrepreneurial craft. This craft can now be taught in institutions.
Today, new multi-colored adire uses simple technology and hot wax or paraffin are used as resist agents in place of the indigenous cassava paste. Designs are created by simple techniques including tie-dye, folding, crumpling, and randomly sprinkling or splashing the hot wax onto a cloth before dyeing. To meet the high demand for adire, stenciling has largely been replaced by a block printing technique to apply the hot wax.
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