SLC-S25/W4 | Community World Tour : Folk Costumes and Arts

I can recall going to an exam hall with a cultural display. From the road to the exam venue were shared praises and commendations of different kinds. You need to see how people looked at me in awe. Culture drives people crazy, and you're easily identified by this. Let me share the first cultural display I made for my fashion fuse. It's the Yoruba culture. Don't worry; I'll tell you more about this culture.

Yoruba Traditional Elements

A typical Yoruba man is one identified with a Fila which is the name of the type of cap used in this culture. The head cap is usually folded and made to sleep on one side while the body of the cap is made to stand upright. Any Yoruba man that's fully dressed can't go without his Fila. Another notable element is the neck beads.

This may not be necessary, as anyone can go out without these beads. The major element in their tradition for me is the Agbada sewn with an embroidery and worn with a full senator. The outfit balances when the fila is worn, as without it, you can't identify a Yoruba man. The Agbada is a common type of cultural wear for men in this tribe, and we usually address them as Aboki. They have some other dress sense with cultural inclination. I did a transition with this cultural attire and wore two neck beads to beautify the material.

I wore a red and white bead with a purple Agbada and purple fila. The second culture I fused in my video is that of German culture. I did a cross-cultural costume of three cultures. This is the second one, and it's international, not within range of my country, and not a known cultural costume or traditional element display in my country.

German Traditional Elements and costumes

This is not a culture I'm familiar with, but I did research on the culture and read through their culture and tradition, including their cultural attire for men and women. I'm a man and can't dress in German attire for women. In most American movies I watch, I see men dress in German culture, and this is what defines them. They are easily identified by a couple of clothing elements and embroidery patterns. Their dress is as complicated as on the inside but looks simple on the outside.

A real German man is known for his round hat. That's what identifies a real German man. The hat must always be round with a protruded vertical top. It makes more sense when there's a staff held for important events. Just imagine holding the staff for support and then bending with your hand, stretching the cap to your side.

A shirt is worn; it can be white or any colour but is mostly white and milky with a jacket and three-quarter trousers. It doesn't end with this, as any English man can wear this. The difference is in the leg wears worn, and it's mostly white in colour, as if it's a joker wearing it. This distinguishes an English man from a German. Most English men can't wear three-quarter trousers with a shirt and half jacket as corporate wear. This is a cultural element for the German men.

Ibibio culture

This culture is a known culture for Akwa Ibomites. You recognise an Akwa Ibomite by the chieftaincy shirt and cap they wear. In Akwa Ibom, we have different cultures with different attires. So the one I'll be specifying is the Ibibio culture.

• Staff

• Neck and hand heads

• Wrapper

• Chieftaincy Shirt

• Native Cap

These are the traditional elements in Ibibio culture. This is our costume, and I wore it to signify my culture and protect my cultural heritage. I wore a native cap that's black with a small pony in its middle. I also wore a chieftaincy shirt and wrapper with a black shoe and staff. Hanging around my neck are neck beads, red and milky with a red hand bead.

This dress signifies Ibibio and Ibibio Isongo. The cultural base attached to these costumes is that the beads worn on the neck are usually worn for protection, and if you notice, we have horns on the beads which signifies cow horns used to drink palm wine and bless kinsmen. The historical story of this traditional costume and its origin would be staged in the next link.