Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups living in modern Nigeria, which is why it’s not surprising that Igbo culture attracts a great deal of attention from Nigerians. Igbo people have a fascinating cultural heritage, and clothing is an important part of the heritage.
Igbo traditional wears have a completely unique look that cannot be mistaken for any other native Nigerian clothes. See the most outstanding Igbo male traditional attire right now!
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1. Igbo attire: the history
If there is one fact you need to know about the history of Igbo clothing is that in the beginning there wasn’t much clothing at all: up until the Igbo nation started the Westernization process, all that adults wore was a piece of cloth to cover their private parts.
As the Igbo culture gradually changed along with the colonization, Igbo male traditional attire started developing into the clothes we’re used to seeing today. However, the most crucial parts of the attire, like the wrapper, the hat, and the beads remained in the Igbo look until nowadays.
2. Igbo traditional attire for men
Many of the Igbo people still wear their traditional outfits on a daily basis, while some prefer to save the traditional Igbo clothing for special occasions like wedding. It doesn’t matter if you want to wear your Igbo outfit every day or a couple of times a year – the guidelines for the look remain the same.
The two indispensable parts of the traditional clothing for Igbo men are the trousers, which are usually not too skinny yet not too wide, and the shirt, which is referred to as the Isiagu. Isiagu looks very similar to another famous Nigerian item of clothing, the Dashiki.
An Igbo outfit would be complete with just these two parts, but the Igbo men who want to take their look one step further often add a Agbada over the Dashiki. The richly decorated and intricately embroidered Agbada is an ideal choice for a groom who wants to follow the Igbo tradition.
Read also: igbo traditional wedding attire for groom
3. Accessories for the Igbo look
Even though the traditional Igbo outfit has only two mandatory parts, the trousers, and the dashiki, there are plenty of ways to make your look more unique and historically accurate. Besides the Agbada, Igbo traditional wears for men includes plenty of accessories.
One of the most popular ways to accessorize an Igbo outfit is a hat, which is known in the Igbo community as the okpu agu or agwu. This hat can match the rest of the outfit, but it’s not required, which means you can own just one or two hats and easily pair them with your Igbo attire.
The stripped Igbo hat with a bobble on its ends is another beloved Igbo accessory. In fact, okpu agu and the striped had are completely interchangeable so you can switch between the two every time you want to give your outfit a new feel.
Finally, the third most popular Igbo accessory is the walking stick, which has a long and complex history and symbolizes power and wealth. An Igbo walking stick is a foolproof way to finish a traditional outfit in the most successful way.
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