The Traditional clothing for Igbo men

Author: Mary Ikande

Its good to find out how the traditional clothing for Igbo peoples should look like and what makes it different from the attires of other ethnic groups.

Features of Igbo traditional attire

There are several details that make modern traditional wears of Igbo culture really unique. Let us highlight the most important of them:

• The native wears of dignitaries and honorary titles holders differ from the costumes of other people.
• One of the most interesting accessories is a walking stick. It is a symbol of strength and wealth. Without it, the Igbo attire for a gentleman will look incomplete.

• Holders of high titles usually wear a red cap sometimes decorated with a feather.

• The jewelry (coral beads, bracelets, and even hats) is widely used. It’s worn not only by men but also by women and able to turn the most modest costume into festive attire.

Fabrics used for Igbo traditional wears

Igbo culture allows the use of different patterns and colours. However, the most popular are red, white, and black. The materials with images of crowns, lions, swords, horses, and other attributes of masculinity are used quite often.

Traditional caps are made exclusively of wool. By its quality, one can understand if a cap is meant for a titled person or an ordinary member of society.

Next, we will analyze the most popular styles and elements of the Igbo traditional wardrobe.

Isiagu

This is a beautiful shirt with vivid patterns. It can have different length and size of sleeves. Such clothes are often worn at special events, large-scale festivals. The stylish decorations are gold buttons and chains.

Turning to history, we may find out that such a shirt testified that its wearer is the leader of the tribe. Today, the rules are less strict so that Isiagu is worn by Nigerian men of any age and status.

The best additions to this shirt are red cap and wrapper. However, if you do not want to confuse people around emphasizing the title which you do not have, it's better to give up the red cap.

For reasons of convenience, Isiagu can be worn with ordinary trousers. Modern men use them no less often than a traditional wrapper.

The wrapper

In accordance with the Igbo customs, a traditional wrapper may be worn by both men and ladies. Such clothes are comfortable and look very beautiful. Therefore, they can often be seen on Nigerians during events.

If you do not have a traditional fabric woven in a special way, just create a wrapper from any other similar material that you like and which organically complements your clothes.

Senator attire

This form of clothing became popular after the Nigerians saw it on Anyim Pius once serving as President of the Senate. This is a fairly simple costume, none the less looking stylish and solid. It consists of trousers and a shirt with long sleeves. Designers usually do not come up with a complicated cut. The task of this attire is to emphasize the manliness of the wearer and not to draw attention to some excessively vivid details.

Light features of elegance can be created by shiny buttons or a chain on a breast pocket.

As you can see today Igbo fashion offers to the stronger gender a lot of interesting and stylish designs, helping them look bright and manly. Always remain elegant and handsome supporting the culture of your native land.