‘Adire’, also known as ‘tie-dye,’ is an indigenous fabric produced with wax to design and create different patterns. It is mainly made by the people of Egba in Abeokuta Ogun state, south-west Nigeria. Adire is a craft passed down from one generation to another, mostly from mother to daughter.
Adire patterns portray animals, tools, plants, and other concepts. In Nigeria, there are three primary ways of making tie-and-dye. They are Oniko, which involves tying raffia to make white circles on a blue fabric; Eleko, which consists of using chicken feathers and cassava paste to create something like block printing; and, lastly, Alabere, which requires stitching raffia with fabric before dyeing.
As a creative or tailor, you must explore and showcase the African heritage through tie and dye. Below are things you can do with Adire:
1. Throw pillow
Throw pillows complement furnishing and brighten up a room. Adire would give your pillow a unique appearance, unlike velvet, leather, or silk. It is like utilizing Yoruba culture to express your craft.
2. T-shirt
If you’re into the T-shirt business, you know making them in adire style is very in vogue. People are currently into adire design. You can focus on collecting customers’ t-shirts, changing to tie and dye patterns or making them ready-to-wear.
3. Bag
You can use adire to make totes or handbags, travellers bags, school bags, and shopping bags. It is another way of representing and promoting our heritage. You can decide to be flexible with it by adding other textiles to make it more durable.
4. Bedspread
It is good for you to understand the basics of tie and dye. If you still need to, you can go to those who are really into it. From there, you can start to turn your cotton fabrics into adire and sell.
5. Shoes
If you’re not a cobbler whereby you make shoes from scratch, your services can be based on turning shoe colour into tie and dye. You can also delve into sandals and slippers.
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