Àdìrẹ is an indigo-dyed cloth traditionally produced by Yoruba women in south-western Nigeria. A range of resist-dye techniques are used to create àdìrẹ patterns, sometimes incorporating more than one technique in a single cloth. The ground-cloth of cotton is folded, stitched, tied or otherwise worked-upon in preparation for dyeing; these areas resist the dye, creating the cloth’s distinctive blue and white patterns. The precise origins of àdìrẹ are unknown, though indigo-dyeing has been in evidence across West Africa for centuries. Àdìrẹ has an enduring presence in the region, becoming a popular, everyday cloth, with many women dyeing àdìrẹ of their own design within the home. Once dyed, àdìrẹ cloth can be wrapped or stitched to create garments, such as a woman’s ìró (wrapped skirt). From the 20th century onwards, factory-woven cloth began to be used; this cloth accepted the dye more easily, creating a finer clarity of design. Whist factories are now able to mass-produce imitation àdìrẹ, the popularity of the traditional hand-worked cloth remains, made by local artisans in historic dyeing centres such as Ibadan.

Àdìrẹ is subcategorised according to the method of resist-dyeing used. In this example, both àdìrẹ alábẹ́rẹ́ and àdìrẹ oniko techniques are in evidence, using stitching and raffia respectively as the resist. On the groundcloth of cotton, a pattern of gridded columns filled with Xs has been sewn into the cloth, separating two further columns of zig-zagging lines. The raffia is then unpicked it after the cloth has been dyed revealing the pattern, however, some raffia traces remains in this example. The small circles at each end of the cloth have been created using the àdìrẹ oniko technique, tying raffia around small guinea-corn seeds or stones in the cloth before dyeing.

Àdìrẹ is usually composed of two panels stitched together along the long edges creating one whole piece. This would be worn by women wrapped around the waist with the seam running horizontally, forming an ìró (wrapped skirt). However, in this example there is only one strip of cloth.