Nigerian fashion has always been trendy. One can definitely say that it is a bit different from fashion around the world. But, fashion designers and fashion enthusiasts can agree that Nigerian fashion has been in a league of its own since its inception.

In this blog, we will take a look at the evolution of Nigerian fashion through the years.

The beginning

The beginning of Nigerian fashion was in the 1960s. Women's dresses started with long frocks and hats. The colors were dark and broody.

The hair was permed and sprayed back properly. Women were not confident about their natural hair back in the day. Therefore the rich always had products in their hair.

After some time, the long maxi dresses transformed into mini dresses and skirts. The trend was to show off some skin - so well-fitted silhouette dresses were the norm.

On the other hand, men wore brighter colors and over-the-top shirts. Patterns were common and in trend.

However, the middle and lower class of Nigeria resorted to oversized dresses with natural hair. Mainly because they could not afford to wear these silhouette dresses and products on their hair.

The transition

As time passed, Nigerian fashion was highly influenced by TV shows and movies. A dress named oleku was inspired by a movie with the same name.

People from the rich class were seen wearing oleku time and again. However, men wore very vibrant dresses such as jumpsuits and agbadas.

The colours were always vibrant as opposed to the western fashion which was more leaned towards black and white for formal dressing.

While all this was going on, Nigerians also hopped onto the bandwagon of matching accessories with each dress. This gave rise to Nigerian artisans who made local jewellery.

The longer the better

As soon as the 80s came by, Nigerian designers were inspired by long dresses. “The bigger the better” was a tagline often used by designers.

Moving on, Nigerian women started to believe in their hair and let them open in some events. However, permed and product-laden hair were the norm at informal parties and weddings.

Similarly, on the causal side - Nigerians were always inspired by bright colors. People were seen wearing bright-colored sweaters and stockings.

American Influence

As soon as the 90s came by. Nigerians were more leaned towards the western notion of fashion. People were more inspired from the Americans and often adapted to their style.

Capri pants and skirts were more common and the indigenous long maxi dresses were not worn by the upper middle class and upper class.

Similarly, men adapted to the casual Tee and denim aesthetic. And also let go of their big afros to adapt to the buzz cuts that were common in America at that time.

Contemporary fashion

As of now, the Nigerian fashion industry is highly inclined towards American fashion but young Nigerians are braver to adapt to their own roots.

Similarly, you can see people wearing turbans and headscarves. And, more people are accepting their hair in its natural form. Cornrows and Afros are back in fashion.

To Sum it all up

Nigerian fashion has had its highs and lows through the years. It started with indigenous long maxi dresses but levitated towards the American fashion of silhouette dresses.

However, the young generation is now levitating towards their own indigenous fashion style. Similarly, they are comfortable in their own skin and hair rather than sticking to American or western style of fashion.

But, there is still a lot of room for Nigerian fashion brands to grow and prosper. But Gen Z is proving to be more fashion forward and sticking to their roots at the same time. Therefore, the future of Nigerian fashion and fashion designers seems bright.