Pick any event in Nigeria on any given day, Ankara gowns worn by ladies of all ages and sizes would be fully represented. It is fair to say that Ankara gowns are the rave of the moment.
Fashion houses in the country try it out do each other with breath-taking designs. Sometimes, the designs are so outrageous only the bold would wear them. And there are so many bold ladies out there.
Once upon a time, gowns made from Ankara fabric were only for traditional or cultural occasions. And in some places, the ladies felt it was only meant for women of a certain age.
Those days are gone for good. Young ladies now rock Ankara gowns as if they were born with it.
The designs are varied. They could be short mini gowns, free-flowing long gowns or tight body-hugging affairs that bring the best out of a ladies figure.
What is the origin of Ankara gowns? To answer that question, you need knowledge of the origin of the fabric itself.
The origin of Ankara Fabric
Though many people associate Ankara fabric with Africa, the fabric was originally from Europe; or more specifically Holland. That is why some people call the fabric Holland wax or Dutch wax.
Ankara fabric
Historians believe that the fabric was originally made in the Java area of Indonesia. However, Europeans traders saw an opportunity to make profits and embraced it.
They brought the techniques of making the fabrics to the bigger industries in Europe. The factories were able to make the fabrics at a faster rate and in huge quantities.
Whereupon, the traders took them back to Asia to sell to the natives.
So how did these foreign fabrics end up in West Africa and ultimately come to dominate the fashion scene?
Nobody knows exactly how it happened. There are two schools of thoughts here.
The first is that the Europeans traders, while traveling to Asia with the fabrics, decided to make a stop on the West Coast of Africa. The enthusiasm for the materials in West Africa convinced them to focus more on selling these fabrics there.
The second version had to do with African soldiers who were taken to Indonesia by the Dutch between 1810 and 1862. On their return to Africa, these soldiers brought with them the fabrics and the art of making them as gifts for their families.
No matter how these fabrics were introduced into Africa, it caught on like wild fire, reaching a peak production in West Africa in the 19th century.
Quality of the Ankara Fabrics
Any woman in Nigeria knows there are different types of Ankara fabrics. The quality depends on where they are produced.
For instance, the best Ankara fabrics are the ones made in Europe especially Holland. The fabrics made in Africa especially in textiles factories in Ghana and Nigeria come next.
Ankara gowns made from Chinese-made fabrics are considered the cheapest. This is because the texture and dyes used in making them are not top-notch. They tend to fade quite easily.
However, in recent times, fabrics made from China are beginning to compete with the best.
Not just Ankara Gowns
Ankara fabric, due to its bright vibrant colors has become very versatile.
Designers and creative people use them to make fashion accessories like hats, shoes, earrings, blazers, to name just a few.
Ankara Wedding gown
And to make it usable in many forms, manufacturers of the fabric have incorporated Ankara on other fabrics like chiffon, spandex, and silk.
These can be used to make clothing such as iro, buba, kaftan, leggings, socks, etc.
Ankara gowns vs. other native fabrics
The question for most cultural historians is how Ankara has affected the use of such local fabrics as adire, aso oke, and the adinkra fabric of Ghana.
These traditional fabrics, truth be told, are now worn only on special occasions. And due to their cost, they are not as common as Ankara these days
On the other hand, Ankara gowns or clothes made from Ankara are accessible to just about anybody.
The flexibility of the prices and the fact the fabric can be adapted to any occasion makes them the dominant fabric in Nigeria today.
How did Ankara gowns come to dominate the fashion scene so comprehensively? Perhaps, nobody would ever know the answer to that question. What is known is that this dominance started about 17 years ago.
Because of this fabric, the term ‘asoebi’ has become a very popular in Nigerian lexicon.
Asoebi is a Yoruba term that loosely means ‘clothes of the family.’ It is a sort of uniform worn by friends and families during occasions such as weddings, birthdays, graduations, burials, etc.
At such occasions, friends, family, or groups can choose to wear similar colored clothes to stand out from other people. Ankara is the fabric mostly used to make these uniforms.
And since the ladies are the ones most interested in asoebi, Ankara gowns would be with us for a long time. What would change are the designs and styles of the gowns on display.
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