The Nigerian woman's insatiable lust for all things "exotic" has spawned a taste for foreign fabrics from far-flung countries.
The further it comes from and the more outrageously expensive, the more desirable it is. Cases in point: Ankara (Ankara, Turkey); Swiss Lace (Switzerland); French Lace (France); Damask (England); George (Madras, India); Woodin (Germany); and the list goes on.
This may or may not be true, but this is how I imagine the first damask gele was invented. One day, oh-so-long ago, one of our curious progenitors probably looked at her sloppy head-tie in the mirror and decided that a stiffer fabric would allow for a more elaborate design.
She then decided to slice off a piece of her colonialist neighbor's curtain to try out the look. It worked fabulously, and the rest, as they say, is Nigerian fashion history.
Humorous Beginnings: The English used damask (and still continue to use) for upholstery and curtains and the slightly softer version for napkins.
We decided to start wearing it on our heads and used it to up the fashion statement value while modifying our traditional attire at the same time.
Swiss lace was used for underwear and petticoats; guipure was used to garnish couture gowns in Europe. Immediately the Yoruba woman discovered these, she decided to make a full iro and buba with it. Woodin was also used by the Germans for furniture upholstery.
We in turn converted it to the premiere choice for aso - ebi. The Ankara fabric, formerly referred to as Dutch Wax from Holland, only became known as "Ankara" when the Turks started making a cheaper version.
The George fabric worn traditionally by Niger-Deltans is a pure light-weight cotton fabric of tartan design, originated from Madras India and among the plethora of fabrics of choice named above, was the only one used as actual day wear in India, but it was worn primarily by their men. So I guess we're not so bad after all.
Interestingly enough, Nigeria being such a vast and insatiable market, encouraged the birth of entrepreneurial fabric magnates.
Back in the very early 60s, Mrs. H.I.D. Awolowo was among the very first to import and sell lace fabrics; the Okunowo Brothers were the primary importers of damask in the late 50s and early 60s; and PZ, UAC and Zabadne and Co. were also the primary importers of Dutch Wax and later Ankara in the 70s.
Because of the popularity of the light-weight and colorful nature of the Dutch Wax/Ankara fabric, local Nigerian manufacturers decided to have a go at it. Due to the competition of the various companies that brought it in, the sheer volume of consumption particularly along the West African coast forced the local production to accelerate.
But alas, unfair trading and smuggling by individuals as well as companies forced the suffocation of local production. In highlighting and trying to celebrate what is ours - from the indigo pits of Niger, Senegal, Kano and Abeokuta came the tie-dye art known as adire in this part of the world.
This was the fore-runner of the now-famed Ankara cloth. Ankara was the western rival to the adire cloth but because the dye was faster and did not stain as much, the locals abandoned their own fabric in favor of the more colorful version from Europe.
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