Woman's Àdìre Wrapper

Àdìre wrappers—wound around the torso and tucked in or secured just under the arms—celebrate Yoruba women’s technical expertise. The Yoruban word àdìre translates as “tied and dyed” and the wrappers are made from large panels of hand-woven cloth that is resist-dyed with indigo. Here, the artist painted cassava starch paste directly onto the cloth by hand, protecting the areas that would remain dye-free. Indigo was a source of wealth and status, and is associated with purity and knowledge. For the Yoruba, a cloth deeply saturated in indigo (the result of multiple immersions into the dye vat) is most valuable.