Aso oke fabric, (Yoruba: aṣọ òkè, pronounced ah-SHAW-okay) is a hand-woven cloth created by the Yoruba people of west Africa. Usually woven by men and women, the fabric is used to make men's gowns, called agbada and hats, called fila, as well as women's wrappers, called iro and head tie, called gele.

Aso oke is from the Yoruba culture in Kwara, Kogi, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Lagos, and Osun States in western Nigeria and Ajase in southeastern Benin Republic.

The way of making the cloth has remained the same for centuries, however new techniques and production methods have been looked into to eliminate the weight and thickness of the aso oke cloth, and to make it more accessible for casual wear.^[1]

Types of aso oke

Other ways that designers have made this old traditional cloth become more modern is to "structurally manipulate and combine animal and floral motifs into definite shapes of grids and geometry, suitable for computer design applications." The basis of more traditional motifs would have originated from fables and folklore.

• Sanyan type: woven from anaphe wild silk and cotton yarns. The sanyan type typically comes in a tan or brown color. ^[2]
• Alaari type: woven with either synthetically or locally grown cotton and shinning threads, sometimes with perforated patterns. The alaari is usually made in a deep red or vibrant purple.^[2]
• Etu type: bears dark indigo colours with tiny white stripes noted for their simplicity.^[3][4]

They also come in various different colours.

Aso oke fabric can also be worn with another Yoruba fabric called aran, a velvet cloth with concentric designs.

Yoruba women's garment

When people speak of an aso oke, they are usually referring to the traditional Yoruba women's garment, which consists of four parts:^[5]

• Buba: Yoruba blouse
• Iro: wrap skirt
• Gele: head tie
• Iborun or ipele: shawl or shoulder sash

However Yoruba women's garments is made typically from different Yoruba traditional fabrics, not just Aso oke, this includes Adire, Seghosen, and also different types of Lace and Ankara.

Formal wear

Yorubas around the world wear aso oke fabric for special occasions,^[6] including holidays, weddings,^[7] funerals and chieftain title ceremonies. All followers of the Yoruba religion also wear aso oke fabrics and hats. Aso oke, specifically the etu type is used in the Egungun festival. The represented cloth is worn closest to the masker's skin, it has a similar resemblance to a shroud in which the deceased are wrapped in.^[8]