Adire Fabric the Yoruba Cloth

We are huge fans of the Nigerian cloth, Adire fabric. One of the main reasons we started Urbanstax was the love of the uniqueness and artistry of resist dye fabrics namely; batiks and tie dye fabrics. Many cultures have a tradition of making resist dyed fabrics, each with their own styles and techniques. Interestingly, these techniques overlap but with different aesthetics. Some favour tie dye, while others, the use of stencils. Some have the most vivid bursting colours, while others tend to be a more muted palette. Of these, Adire is a firm favourite and what we will explore further.

Resist dyeing is a method of creating designs on fabric by restricting the absorption of dye from certain parts of the fabric. This is done using various techniques like waxing, threading, sewing, pleating, folding, starching and more. You may have heard of the shibori from Japan or the batik of Indonesia, all with their own techniques and particular aesthetics. In southern Nigeria, there is a tradition of tie dye fabrics known as Adire.

What is Adire?

Adire fabric is the traditional indigo resist fabric made by the Yoruba people of Southern Nigeria. The fabric was predominantly produced by women and translates to ‘We tie and dye’. Àdìre pronounced ah-d-reh, was traditionally folded, pleated, and tied before dyeing in indigo to produce lengths of cloth which were then made up into garments. It is known for its intricate designs and beautiful patterns. Due to the unique and handmade process, every piece of adire fabric is one-of-a-kind, making it a true work of art.

Àdìre is pronounced ah-d-reh

As techniques, trade and materials evolved, the resist methods have come to include the use of stencils, starch paste and wax to produce even more varied and detailed designs in brighter and wider ranging colours.

Indigo Cloth in West Africa

Indigo is one of the oldest dyes in the world and indigo dyeing was the basis of numerous textile traditions across West Africa. The extraction of indigo from local plants and transformation into a dye was a complex process requiring great expertise.  The art of indigo dyed cloth was a highly valuable skill passed on by specialist dyers from generation to generation. The dye makers in southern Nigeria were typically women and called Alaro.

In Nigeria, the dyeing of cloth using indigo can be traced as far back as the 11th century. The indigo is extracted from a local plant with the scientific name philenoptera cyanensis (the plant is known locally as Elu). It is native to West Africa and all parts of the plant can produce indigo dye but typically just the leaves and shoots are used. The leaves are pounded in a mortar and rolled into small 10 – 12 cm balls (known locally as Aro) which are then dried in the sun. These balls are then placed in clay pots and fermented over a number of days in an alkaline solution to produce the dye. This produced a blue-black dye used in the production of various adire cloths.

Types of Adire- the techniques

Adire is made using various resist techniques and the main types are

1. Adire Oniko
2. Adire Eleko
3. Adire Alabela

1. ADIRE ONIKO

In this method, the resist is created by tying the cloth with raffia before dyeing (the raffia is from fronds of raffia palm trees that grow locally). This is the popularly known tie dye. This categorisation is not rigid as there are variations on the method. More recently, raffia has been replaced with plastic ties and elastic bands.

Adire Eleso– small seeds or pebbles are tied in the fabric with raffia producing small circles in the design.

Adire Elelo– the fabric is pleated and folded and then wound with raffia

Adire Alabere– similar to the above but with hand stitching or machine stitching in place of tying with raffia. After the fabric is dyed, the stitches are carefully removed.

2. ADIRE ELEKO

With this type, locally produced cassava starch (known as eko) was used as the resist. The designs were painted onto the fabric using the starch to create the designs. Metal stencils were also later used with the starch to create more precise designs. The eko is applied to one side of the fabric, so when removed, leaves a pale blue motif rather than a white one as some of the dye still gets through to the cloth.

3. ADIRE ALABELA

This is the modern adaptation of the traditional method, where wax is used to create the designs and this technique forms the majority of the Adire we stock. This is the technique that is most similar to the popular Indonesian batik method of resist dyeing. The wax is applied using a sponge with designs drawn in freehand. It can also be applied using stamp. Adire fabric is now available in wide range of colours with the introduction of synthetic dyes. Additionally, there is a freehand pouring method which produces the marble effect Adire.

Adire Patterns and Symbols

You may have noticed some adire designs set up in a grid-like fashion, with boxes, each containing abstract patterns. These patterns have acquired names and meanings over time and came to represent proverbs and teachings. The women dyers would give names to popular repeated patterns and these patterns would appear over and over again in new cloths. In traditional Adire eleko, these series of grids/squares each containing symbols with a proverb would be repeated within the design.

Some recognisable adire cloths were composed of these small squares and together represented a particular idea or was commemoration for a certain time, celebration or deity. These symbols are pictorial representations of a variety of objects, animals, plants, foods and so on.

A particular collection of these ‘proverb boxes’ together would be given a name like ‘Ibadan dun‘. Ibadan is a city in Southern Nigeria and the phrase translates to Ibadan is sweet or Ibadan is enjoyable. An example of this can be seen in the British Museum archives via the above link.

The really cool thing to see is the modern edit of these fabrics. The ideas are the same but the designs, colours and techniques have been updated making them just as wearable and interesting as they have always been. The example above, though created using wax instead of cassava paste, pays homage to the traditional Adire Eleko.

Modern Adire Today

The term Adire has come to be used generically to refer to both traditional and modern resist dyed cloths made in Nigeria. Synthetic dyes are now commonly used to achieve colour fastness as well as a more varied colour palette.

The majority of the adire cloths we stock are made using the wax resist technique drawn by hand. We also have examples of the tied and dyed variety, with free-hand marbled cloths always a popular choice.

The base cloth for dyeing is most commonly cotton but could be anything that can take dye. One of the most common uses of the material is still Adire clothing but not limited to it. Your imagination is the only limit. For some inspiration, check out some of our fabulous customers and what they have made out of this unique fabric.

From dresses, to cushions, jackets, pinafores and more, they are truly gorgeous. So here are a few from our archives and Instagram feed to perhaps give you some ideas. If you have bought some adire from us, we would love to add you to our veritable hall of fame so do tag us on your Instagram posts or send us a pic or two by email.

Nigerian Fashion Designers Using Adire Textiles

We have huge fans of the following designers and their fresh take on the use of these fabrics in fashion. It is also great to see the revival of interest in the skills and techniques it takes to produce the fabric and the clothing.

Why we love Adire fabric

Adire fabric is a great choice if you want something bold and unique. You are sure to have a garment or quilt or cushion that is truly one of a kind. Due to the organic and somewhat unpredictable nature of the creation of the fabric, no two pieces are ever exactly identical. You can in a sense, see the ‘hand print’ of the person that has created a piece as they have either drawn the motifs by hand in wax or starch or tied and stitched every single line. Each length of fabric is like a piece of art in its own right.

I have to finish off with one of my most favourite things which is this stunning quilted portrait by Bisa Butler. If you are one of our regular blog readers, you would have seen it before but hey.. I heart it very very much so another excuse to show the work of this amazing artist. The backdrop is a beautiful purple marble adire.

Books about Adire

Interested in finding out more about this fabric? Here are some book suggestions.

1. Storytelling Through Adire by Allyson Aina Davies
2. Adire Cloth in Nigeria 1971 to 2016
3. Adire Eleko Fabric Art by Tunde M. Akinwunmi