Why Every Naija Guy Should Own a Traditional Attire

Why Every Naija Guy Should Own a Traditional Attire 

        Traditional attires sometimes referred to as cultural attires have long been a way Africans have used to actually represent a particular tribe they belong to. Fortunately these attires have evolved to what it initially used to be and are now widely used together with the western outfits. "Ankara" as we refer to it in this part of the world is an essential when traditional attires are mentioned. One must note that despite the modernized traditional attire, our original cultural attires still remain the same when used for very official traditional occasions.
        I'd begin by sharing with you the auspicious feeling I had the day I put on a traditional attire  that I had been so avoiding due to my love for the western culture and all it’s attributes. While in my final year at the University we were mandated to take a picture for our graduations’ year book and before then I had this textile material popularly known as senator my mom got for me and I had been wondering when I would showcase the attire despite my utmost dislike for anything cultural. This was definitely the opportunity to visit the studio with the "Senator material ".
      

        On that fateful day, fully dressed on my supposed cultural attire and a very nice shoe, a friend and I  headed to the studio. As I stepped out, I started getting looks from every angle and even mates that didn't greet me before wanted to associate with me. Overwhelmed with the feelings of getting noticed, I started saying "Hi" to all the girls I had been crushing on since time immemorial and guess what they all gladly replied with a smile on their face. Mehn!, I was looking and feeling like a million dollars, I was sure of getting the digits of the most beautiful girl in Nigeria with the eyes and admiration I got, mind you it's not like I never dressed nice or I wasn't usually admired when I had a nice shirt and jeans on or when I was all corporate on my suit, But this was just more than the regular "I love your outfit" I get on a norm or it could be that it was the first time anyone had seen me on something traditional. Whatever it was, I loved the reactions and compliments I got. Well, I got to the studio took the pictures and as a Correct Naija guy wey no wan carry last I took to my social media accounts to pepper dem gang. And you guessed right, I got more reactions than I've gotten before. At this point, I realized why every Naija guy should own a traditional attire.

       Firstly, one thing I benefitted from putting on that traditional attire besides the admirations and all was that it gave me CONFIDENCE. I didn't feel insecure about my looks or dressing because I felt and looked good. At that point in my life, I had been trying to reach out to a particular person on Facebook and as much as I tried the person never paid close attention to me not until I uploaded the picture with my senator wear on Facebook which the person liked, I knew then that it was time to reach out again and this time around I got all the attention and responses as quickly as I anticipated, in fact the person was thinking I was one big man little did he know that I was just a student who had gone to the studio to take a year book photo. Other comments I got were from friends who thought I was contesting or should indeed contest for a political position.
     Traditional attires can be as simple as an Ankara shirt and trouser with a pair of sandals and you're very good to go and you've saved yourself the stress of trying out 3 different pairs of jeans just to find the one that'd fit a particular sneakers or a polo T-shirt.
    Aside the fact that Traditional attires are very simple they can also give you that "VIP look" you want even more than a suit would. Imagine yourself on a very nice and fitted "senator  dress". I've attended an event before in a hotel with my uncle and I know how the usher paid more attention to me than my uncle because I was looking better in my traditional attire than him who was looking corporate.

       As a correct Naija guy, you must have nice traditional attires of all types for different occasions. Personally I barely put on anything aside traditional to church on Sundays, previously I'd stay up in bed for minutes thinking of the right outfit combinations to wear to church but now all I do is wake up and after my bath, head straight to my wardrobe and select a particular traditional dress which most times are "Ankara" with either sandals or shoe as the case maybe and I'm good to go, looking "good and simple". I have a friend who loves getting ankara uniforms no matter the occasion. Let's say a church group is getting a particular ankara material he never misses out, he sees it as an opportunity of getting himself a nice ankara material and saving himself the stress of going to the market to select nice design prints, you could borrow a leaf from him.

         One more reasons why you need nice traditional attires in your wardrobe is to preserve the cultural heritage of Nigeria.        
        Well, before you go get any, there's one last thing you need to do, you need a nice fashion designer and you also need to know the right styles that'd fit your person and your physique. So here's a chance of not just being an ordinary Naija guy.

Be a correct Naija guy today.
Promote your culture!.
By Soronnadi James