ADIRE

Adire is the name given to indigo dyed cloth produced by Yoruba women of south western Nigeria using a variety of resist dye techniques. Adire translates as tie and dye, and the earliest cloths were probably simple tied designs on locally-woven hand-spun cotton cloth much like those still produced in Mali. In the early decades of the twentieth century however new techniques of resist dyeing were developed, most notably the practice of hand-painting designs on the cloth with a cassava starch paste prior to dyeing. This was known as adire eleko. Today very little (arguably none) good quality adire is still being made in Nigeria and most surviving old pieces have already disappeared into museum and private collections in the USA and Europe. Unlike aso oke which Yoruba people often kept as a family heirloom for decades, adire was an everyday cloth usually worn out and discarded. Today we very rarely find a good piece for sale in Nigeria and the cloths we can offer are drawn mainly from European collections made during the 1960s and 70s. Prices have inevitably risen as availability has declined. If you are interested in these unique and beautiful textiles you should be aware that they are fast becoming extremely rare and opportunities to add classic designs to your collection will soon disappear altogether. If there is a particular design that you are looking for please let us know and we will contact you first as soon as we find a good example. Most of these cloths are adire eleko, created using a starch resist technique, a few are created using shibori type methods of stitching, tying, and folding the fabric prior to dyeing in indigo. All these cloths are genuine old Yoruba adire hand-dyed with indigo and collected in Nigeria. Each is in excellent condition. For more information visit our Adire guide page. Full description of each cloth, together with price and ordering information, can be found with a larger picture by clicking on the thumbnail images. If you are looking for adire but don't see the design you want here please do ask as we have a number of others in our collection