Nigerian Fashion: 8 Colorful Hausa Fashion Sense looks

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Hi Fashionistas, Nigerian fashion fans, and my wonderful readers, honestly, your comments and likes have been a blessing to me and so, I say ‘Thank you so much guys’ from the bottom of my heart.  I really didn’t want to post today, I planned on reading a good novel and eating junk food, however, another thought of not doing something more productive kept me seated in front of my laptop, and here I am, writing another of what I’m hoping, will be an intriguing post. So, please read and comment, so my heart can soar even more (wink), lol. 🤗🥰😉

NIGERIAN FASHION: HAUSA FASHION SENSE!

Okay, enough about me: What I bring today guys, is another one of Nigeria’s many ethnic groups. The Hausa people are known to be the largest ethnic group in Nigeria, consisting of 29% of the total population, including the Fulani’s. Now, there isn’t much of a distinction between the Hausa and the Fulani’s, hence why we call them The Hausa-Fulani but I won’t go into why, because I don’t want to rant.

The Hausa people are very distinct and you’ll be shocked to know that even some of the other ethnic group’s attire, comes from the idea of them (Trust me, I was totally shocked while doing my research, lol). So, anyways, let’s dive into Nigerian fashion, the dress codes, and their fashion sense.

THE HAUSA WOMEN’S ATTIRE: 

The Hausa women’s traditional attire is very distinct and also very confusing, (even to me, lol), most people don’t know how to classify them, however, it is always very easy to spot them because of how they wear their clothes and style it. Their attire consists of an Abaya a long cloak or a robe covering the women’s body-worn to observe modesty, a Head tie, or Hijab-headscarf that covers only the upper parts (head and shoulders) of the women, a shawl, and sometimes, henna designs on their hands and feet.

Unlike other Nigerian fashion styles, it’s essential for the Hausas to have their women wear proper, yet elegant, attires that don’t show a lot of skin. When in public, a female has to be completely covered to avoid any judgmental looks. This is due to the fact that the Northern Nigerian Hausa population consists mainly of Muslims. Thus, their religion dictates their approach to clothing.

However, seeing as the 21st century is more modern and contemporary, these women also style their outfits in different ways.

ANKARA STYLES NIGERIAN FASHION: 

The Ankara styles for Hausa women are always sown in distinct ways, ranging from skirts and blouses to gowns. However, two things that stand out in their fashion sense, are (1) their ability to merge different colors together: these women mostly use flashy colors like red, green, purple, yellow, etc, and still manage to combine these colors together. For example, they combine mint green, red and purple to make their outfits. (2) Their styles are mostly sown in mermaid styles: yep, their gowns and skirts are mostly in mermaid styles. Their head tie is also very important and so most of their women never go out without tying a scarf or wearing Hijab.

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Lace styles:

There isn’t much to say about their lace styles, except it is mostly worn for important functions and also weddings. Their styles are worn with flashy colors and also makes sure to cover their body properly.

Abaya styles:

 

There are so many Abaya styles that I even want to post them all. This style is a common style mainly because it is the traditional style and also because it is easy to sow and find even without sowing. This style can be worn with a head scarf, cap, and head tie, or even with a Hijab.

The Hijab: 

 

Now the Hijab is simply a headscarf that covers only the upper parts (head and shoulders) of the woman. It is mostly worn by the Hausa-Muslim. There are Hausa-Christians as well, however, they still wear their head-tie as per culture and tradition. The Hijab is also worn by Northern Hausa’s, who sometimes wear the long ones that cover the entire body, like the picture in the middle.

Wedding attire: 

The female wedding attire can be anything ranging from Abaya, lace, Ankara, to gowns along with their compulsory head tie which can also range from scarfs to Hijabs. That is one thing I love about them. Another thing is their use of Heena; Henna is a dye prepared from the plant Lawsonia inermis and applied on the hands and feet of the bride, in a form of temporary body decoration similar in appearance to a tattoo. It is what to them, adds to the beauty of the bride. However, anyone can use it, as it lasts for about two weeks before it gives a faded appearance. 

HAUSA MEN ATTIRE

We’ve spent so much time on the women, so let’s move to the men, shall we? The male attire of the Hausa people consists of the Babban riga- robes with wide sleeves, and floor length, or Kaftan, and the Huluna cap- a delicately embroidered cap with different colors, or Fula-cap- embroidered hat.

Babban Riga styles:

Babban Riga which is translated as ‘King of Clothes’, is also called Agbada in Yoruba (now, you get why I said, some clothes originate from them?). However, their own Babban Riga is sown in such a distinct way that you will know which is for the Hausa men.  This outfit is a robe of floor length and full sleeves, worn over a long-sleeved shirt and matching trousers. It is like the Yoruba attire, however, the flashy colors as well as the delicately embroidered cap, are what makes the Hausa men stand out.

Kaftan styles:

The Kaftan is a traditional two-piece design with sleeves and a long pant. It consists of a free top with embroidery around the neck and chest area and trousers, made from the same fabric usually fastened with a rope. The Men’s Kaftan length can reach the hip, knees or ankles with short or long sleeves with or without cuffs. The men always wear the kaftan with their Huluna caps.

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Wedding Attire: 

 

The male wedding attire is mostly the Babban  Riga and Huluna cap. One thing though, that stands out is that their Huluna caps, are heavily embroidered unlike the Yoruba plain filas

So, guys, that’s it on the Hausa fashion sense. There is a lot more to know but this should wet your appetite for more. I hope you guys like our culture? So, tell me which outfit you like best?

Also please don’t forget to read my books, on Libri, Wattpad, and Amazon. Love you guys, (kiss, and wink).🤗🥰😉

P.s: I spent more than an hour on this blog so please read  🙃☺🤩🤗🥰😉

Later fashionistas….🤩

Photo source: google.com

By @Oluwatoyosi.

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