Across Nigeria, aso-ebi, called anko in Hausa, represents a symbol of unity, identity, celebration and many more. In Yoruba land, aso-ebi, which means a uniform cloth, was usually worn by just family members to identify themselves during occasions, such as weddings, chieftaincy titles, cultural festivities and much more.
However, over the years, the tradition has extended beyond families to friends, work colleagues etc. It has become a big trend in the Nigerian culture and fashion industry. This trend often comes at a burden to some who intend to partake in it.
Speaking to Weekend Trust on the impact of aso-ebi on her life, Magdalene Ukam said that between 2024 and 2025 she had spent nothing less than N500,000 on purchasing various materials for the different weddings she attended.
She said: ‘The last aso-ebi I bought was N200,000 for 4 yards. And only God knows how much it would cost me to sew it. Let’s not go into how much I have spent in the last three years. Because of that, I have personally made a decision not to buy them anymore. I will rather get something that matches the aso-ebi colour, especially when I don’t have a personal relationship with the bride or groom.’
Magdalene added that she made such decision because many of the styles sewn were often what she could not reuse. ‘For every wedding, you would want to sew something trendy. And the truth is that many of these styles are not outfits you can use more than once.
‘I have not worn many of the corset outfits I have made after the wedding I sewed them for. It was for that reason that I made something I could use to church with my last two aso-ebi materials,’ she also said.
Asked if aso-ebi is deemed necessary for events, Magdalene said: ‘At the end of the day, it is not about what is necessary but what the individual in question wants. If a bride decides that she wants her girls in aso-ebi, that’s what she wants for her day and it will be unfair to force her to choose otherwise. However, it is important that they consider the prices at which the materials are placed because it is one thing to buy the cloth and another thing to make it.’
Another young woman, Jemimah Ufedo, said she was a serial aso-ebi buyer, owning over 30 of such outfits. According to Jemimah, unlike Magdalene, she does not have any issue with buying aso-ebi as she keeps her styles simple and considers it an investment to her wardrobe.
She said, ‘I am not big on trendy designs. I like to keep it cute and simple because with the price at which some of these aso-ebi cloths are bought, no one should sew a style that cannot be used for other events or festivities.’
However, despite her love for aso-ebi, Jemimah said: ‘As a matter of rule, I don’t buy any aso-ebi that is more than N60,000. For me to buy any cloth higher than that amount means that I have a deep relationship with any of the families that are getting married.’
Unlike Jemimah and Magdalene, Chidinma does not indulge herself in buying aso-ebi as she believes that oftentimes, many of them are overpriced, and weddings are generally expensive ventures.
She noted: ‘I stopped buying aso-ebi in 2025 after one of my friends put hers at N150,000; and I knew that to sew it would cost me almost N70,000. Let’s not talk about the other expenses that go into getting ready as a young woman. I am talking about makeup, matching purses and shoes, gele tying, professional pictures (if you want to go that far). What I would rather do now is get a very similar material at a very good price from the market.’
It is important to note that men are not left out from the aso-ebi discussion as they would usually pay for materials for kaftan and their matching caps. However, the pressure is less when compared to what women face.
Fola King said he had only paid for four kaftans but often bought the matching, caps, as most times he usually had the colours selected for the wedding or event.
‘Most men are very similar; their colours don’t go beyond white, navy or light blue, army green and a few others. And most men usually have kaftans made in different colours, which makes it a lot easier. It is not like women who have an exact material and cannot repeat it for the next event. All men do pull out their kaftans and have their matching caps to go with it,’ King said.
According to him, the caps and even the kaftan materials are not usually pricey as he has never paid more than N120,000 for both the material and the sewing.
‘Why we chose aso-ebi for wedding’
On why he chose aso-ebi for his wedding, David Adi, who wedded in 2024, said he wanted to be able to identify his close friends and make sure they were properly attended to.
He said, ‘The wedding had a colour theme, but I made sure that all my secondary friends wore one material because I needed the event planners, waiters and waitresses to make sure they were attended to properly. Not to say that other people won’t get attended to; you know how weddings can be – people invite people. And the people who actually came to celebrate you personally don’t get served food or drinks or souvenirs because they are not easily identified. And it ruins the mood.’
Another 2024 bride, Praise Ameh, said she enjoyed the uniformity and aesthetics that aso-ebi adds to a wedding. ‘When I look back at my traditional wedding pictures, I am overjoyed seeing my girls in their matching outfits. Even at the hall, just having everyone in their aso-ebi delivered the theme of my wedding. And it gave me so much joy,’ she said.
Praise noted that because she was determined to have all her friends dressed in aso-ebi, she kept it at a ‘minimal’ price so that they would all buy.
‘My aso-ebi was sold at N40,000. It was a white and gold mixed lace. And till today, I don’t regret that option because my mother did colour code for her friends. And pardon me to say that I was not feeling it at all,’ she added.
Fabric sellers complain; tailors, gele artists earn money
Although event halls are filled every Saturday, with many wedding bells ringing, fabric sellers are complaining of low patronage, especially as the economy also faces a downturn.
A fabric seller at Wuse market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT0 said that in 2026, as compared to other years, customers no longer frequently trooped to her shop to buy aso-ebi.
She said: ‘These are tough times for us. Sometimes we stay a week and no one is coming to buy aso-ebi material like before. The flow of money has reduced; and the fabrics have also become very expensive, so many people are going for cheaper options or not even buying at all.
‘Before now, we didn’t sell ankara per yard, but because people are looking for cheaper options, we have started selling, even when there’s a risk of not seeing people who would buy the rest of the material.’
Another fabric seller, who also attributed the lack of patronage to low cash flow in the country, said, ‘Only very big families and rich people are still buying aso-ebi. And how many are they? Many people rather opt for colour code, then people come and buy materials in small pieces for the event. Even among those who buy the aso-ebi are buying ankara, which is far cheaper than the lace they would ordinarily buy.’
But for tailors, the case is different. Uchechi Obi, an Abuja-based tailor currently has over six aso-ebi outfits he is working on, all to be delivered before the end of August. According to Obi, as long as weddings are held every weekend, he always has one or two aso-ebi cloths to deliver.
‘The minimum I charge for an aso-ebi outfit is N40,000; and that is determined by the style the person is going for. Trendy styles like corset and beaded outfits start from N80,000 and above.
‘I am always lucky to have people who come back to me, so I cannot say there’s low patronage. However, unlike before when we had a lot of lace materials, we now have people mixing materials like aso-oke, ankara and the rest,’ he noted.
A gele artist, Miss Uli Okoi, who also spoke in line with what Obi said, noted that she tied at least 10 every Saturday for weddings. She works in a makeup studio, and once people do their makeup, the next thing is to tie gele.
‘You know that just like the lace in the aso-ebi package, gele is also very important. Some people opt to buy only gele, so business moves smoothly, I must say. We charge between N10,000 and N15,000 to tie gele, depending on the style. And customers always return,’ she noted.