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, each of which carries its own history and produces its own recognisable effect. This cloth is an example of àdìrẹ ẹlékọ, which is often seen as the most recently developed àdìrẹ technique, using a cassava starch paste as the resist. This is applied with a brush or feather using either a meticulously cut metal stencil, or, painted freehand onto the cloth – the latter providing the opportunity for more stylised and complex designs. In this example, the starch has been applied by freehand painting. As with most àdìrẹ, two panels of have here been 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).

This pattern is known as Olokun, ‘goddess of the sea’ in Yoruba. The goddess is also associated with wealth. The cloth is divided into four rows of five squares with a series of smaller rectangles around the edge. Patterns that can be found on the cloth include frogs, herons, scorpions, birds, crowns, snakes, lizards, drums, pipes, spoons, forks, umbrellas, combs and geometric patterns.

The underside of this cloth has been signed with a scorpion or snail symbol, but it has not yet been possible to trace the name of the maker. Signatures such as this had a practical use, allowing the maker to be reunited with their cloth after it emerged from the dye pot. There is a second cloth in the V&A's collection painted by the same woman (CIRC.588-1965).