YAS contemporary lifestyle

Adire is the name given to the traditional textile dyeing and patterning of cloth by the Youruba tribe, primarily located in Nigeria, West Africa. Using cotton fabric and indigo dye (both plants indigenous to the area), the fabric is bound, folded, stitched and dyed. You can find more information regarding the history of this textile at NSW . Another form of Adire is the patterning of fabric using a paste to create resist patterns. The fabric is then dyed in indigo. This technique is named Adire Eleko. The paste may be applied by hand or through a stencil. From the Bosence Gallery, read more here . Reading List: African Textiles, Colors and Creativity Across A Continent John Gillow Thames and Hudson The Art of African Textiles   Duncan Clarke African Printed Textile Design Diane V. Horn (International Design Library) The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End (Metropolitan Museum of Art) Alisa LaGamma Christine Giuntini On-line Resources: Adire Afr...

If you find fabric fascinating, as I do, you may have taken some time to study it's history. This will be a series of posts on traditional patterning of textiles around the world. I'm starting with Africa, a huge continent with many different textile traditions. Adire oniko - is a Youruba term for tied and dyed fabric. The patterns are traditional and named. Indigo is the most commonly used dye stuff. The Youruba are primarily located in Nigeria, West Africa. Next: More Adire