R6135/6 Hat; Fila

Burgundy and pale pink men's fila hat with silver thread, made from strip woven aso-oke cloth.

Fila (Museum Accession Number R6135/6)

This aso-oke fila was worn by Shola Bello, a British Nigerian man, at his wedding. Aso-oke translates as ‘top cloth’ or ‘high status cloth’ and was traditionally narrow strip-woven by men. It is a popular choice for special occasion outfits for Yoruba people in Nigeria and in the UK. While some groom’s outfits are entirely made of aso-oke, Shola teamed this fila with an agbada outfit made of a white brocade fabric, to match with his new wife Titi who also wore white. Both of these outfits were collected as part of the Fashioning Africa project.

Creator: unknown

Place: Lagos, Nigeria, West Africa, Africa

Date: 2004

A young black couple exchange rings at their wedding ceremony
Shola Bello wearing the fila at his wedding to Titi Bello. The couple’s outfits were collected as part of the Fashioning Africa project.