This women’s long shirt was created by Nigerian designer and textile artist Nike Davies-Okundaye. The cloth was hand-woven in 1910 by Mrs Ibitola, Nike’s great grandmother. Mrs Ibitola lived in Ede, Osun State and was the head weaver in the village before her death at the age of 86. The patches sewn onto the garment are made from blue striped Etu aso-oke fabric made in Ondo State. The garment was created by Nike in 1984, and showcases the generations of textiles and weaving skills in Nike’s family and in Nigeria. Collected as part of the Fashioning Africa project.
Creator: Nike Davies-Okundaye
Place: Nigeria, West Africa, Africa
Date: 1984
At the timing of writing, professional photography of all of the new collection has not been completed due to Covid 19. The image of the shirt featured here was take by researcher Harriet Hughes when she visited the Nike Art Gallery in Lagos.