Nigeria is a country made up of about 150 million people with immense cultural, ethnic and
religious diversity. The Yoruba consist of many cultures majorly located in the South Western
part of the country. The Yoruba have a distinctive clothing culture, they are fashion conscious
and always ready to adapt to changes in society. The Ondo people formed one of these cultures
The traditionally woven fabric, aso oke, is sewn as the traditional attires of varied styles. It was
originally produced from the local wild silk combined with cotton fibres. The woven fabrics are
classified into four, namely: etu, petuje, sanyan and alaari. What makes the difference in these
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old time fabrics have been in the areas of colour of the yarns, dyestuff, and the movement of the
integrated stripes.
The production and use of aso oke was at its peak before the emergence of colonial rule in
Nigeria. Although the fabrics still remain one of the traditionally recognised clothing materials
today. However, the quality of the fibres, dyes and the values attached to them presently differs
from what it used to be in the early 20th century.
The people of Ondo kingdom have penchant for alaari and give higher values to its acquisition
and would always want to acquire the fabric irrespective of its cost and age. Adepeko (2009)
noted that the older the age of the fabric, the higher the amount the Ondos would want to pay.
Because of the long experience the Ondos have in handling the fabrics and the values they have
for it, they have developed a technology for its renovation, restoration and preservation which
has opened up avenues for creativity, individual and community sustainability.
The paper examines the historical development of alaari, its aesthetic and social values, factors
informing its acquisition and the various methods used by the Ondo people in its laundry, and
restoration and preservation of what should have been a dying clothing tradition.