THE GRAND BOUBOU/AGBADA
Wednesday, March 02, 2016
Growing up I used to think to Agbada was a special Yoruba
traditional attire meant for certain occasions and worn by a particular class
of men in the society, you know the “Elite”, the “big men” present. At occasions
in those days, you see men arriving the venue, flinging the garment over their
shoulders and walking majestically. It was almost always certain that these men
would be "spraying" lots of freshly printed naira notes in that
occasion. Yes, that was the impression that an agbada wearing man gave off.
The grand boubou/bubu is one of the names for a flowing wide
sleeved robe worn by men in much of West Africa, and to a lesser extent in
North Africa, related to the dashiki suit. The name boubou derives from the
Wolof word mbubb. It is known by various names, depending on the ethnic group
wearing them: agbada (Yoruba, Dagomba), babban riga (Hausa), mbubb (Wolof),
k'sa or gandora (Tuareg), darra'a Maghrebi Arabic, grand boubou (in various
Francophone West African countries) and the English term of gown.
The use of the grand boubou as clothing became widespread
throughout the West African region with the migration of semi-nomadic groups
such as the Fulani, and traders such as the Dyula and Hausa. Comparing the
grand boubou to the various styles of Arabic Thawb suggests the grand boubou
follows an archaic template to the contemporary male clothing of the Middle
East and North Africa.
The grand boubou or Agbada as a full formal attire consists
of 3 pieces of clothing: a pair of tie-up trousers that narrow towards the ankles
(known as a sokoto pronounced "shokoto" in Yoruba) and a long-sleeved
shirt (known as a dashiki in Yoruba) and a wide, open-stitched sleeveless gown
worn over these. They are generally of the same colour, and historically were
made from silk, but increased understanding of Islamic restrictions on clothing
meant the grand boubou is now mostly made from cotton and synthetic cloths made
to resemble silk.
Looking at the present, the grand boubou or agbada is no
longer just for the big daddies, we now see young men (and even women) rocking
the agbada with a fusion of merdern fashion; where the old school agbada is
worn over long sleeved buba (tunic), these days, they are worn over short
sleeved buba. Where the old school agbada is long, extremely broad and wing-like,
these days they come in shorter lengths and widths and are definitely not as
heavy as the old school type.
These days however, the younger folks have taken the fashion
of agbada to a whole new level and we have to admit it’s more than awesome so
much so that agbada is now worn to dinners and many other formal events. Who
could have thought agbadas would become this fashionable?
The thing about Agbadas is that they help you achieve that
big man look in an instant whilst not making you look older than you actually
are. Another good thing is the choice of materials Agbadas could be made out
of.
You could sew your Agbada with Aso-oke, lace material and of
course guinea brocade – which is the best to sew your Agbada with. However, do
not try to use Ankara for your Agbada – its only best for short hand Dansiki.
Rocking the agbada outfit without accessories is like a NO
NO for me, because they improve your entire outlook. You can add wristwatch,
cuff links, rings and even nice necklaces or chains as you wish.
“A good Agbada is a waste of large
yards of material without the right accessories; it’s like eating Nsala Soup
without pounded yam. - Noble Igwe”
- Don’t make your Agbada too loose-fitting on you. Agbadas are not by nature a small item of clothing. Making then too loose – fitting is needless. You don’t want to get lost in an over-sized Agbada. This tip is mainly for skinny guys.
- Your embroidery must not – I repeat, must not – look cheap or tacky. It defeats the whole essence of the “classy big man look.”
- Please ensure that Agbada is well ironed and if you have to use the entire can of spray starch on that Agbada to get that crispy look then by all means use it. Your Agbada must always be crispy and shiny.
- Your shoes and cap must be perfect; in fact wear your best shoe. You could wear a normal Fila or the Awolowo style cap. Your choices of colour, needless to say must all be matching and not clash.
- All accessories must be on point: your wristwatch, cufflinks, rings and necklaces. You could use any accessory of your choice or any one that seems necessary but it must look nice.
Sources
10 comments
I need an Agbada ASAP, i like the blue one with plenty embroidery, it's just a must have.
ReplyDeleteI really need to invest in one of those ooo....So I will be showing up at events looking like a rich Alhaji
DeleteI was scrolling to see you in one, but nada! Ha!! Great photos!
ReplyDeletemissymayification.blogspot.co.uk
HEHEHE, My money is not complete to make one yet.
DeleteYyyyaaayyy! King Ice My Fashion Blogger Brother is Back in the game for reazle ma people! Yyaaagaaa Ice.. Welcome back Bruv.. I have so misseedd your Fashion Posts..
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun read.. I loveeeedd it! Weldone sir.. the post is Top Notch King Ice.. Mehn I need Agbada oh.. :( Make i go dey save sharpaLLy!
Thanks for stopping by bro, Save for two abeg
DeleteThese pictures are beautiful
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Thanks for stopping by
DeleteThere's just something about a man in agbada...it speaks class...and money sha. I love me some hot yoruba looking man in agbada..hehe.
ReplyDeletewww.mylifeasmoby.com
Moby you are so correct, I need to get that yoruba demon outfit.
DeleteThank you for making out time to read my blog, Your comments are appreciated.