The African Gele By Keluspecial 

Africans will need no introduction to the colorful and versatile world of gele. However, for those not so familiar with the word, it is called “head gear” in English. It is a type of head wrap adorned by Nigerian women of West Africa. Typically used as a head gear majorly by Igbos and Yorubas.

However, it is more common among Yoruba women. It has become a culture and a wardrobe staple. A woman can wear her traditional outfit commonly known as Iro and buba in Yoruba language (which means blouse and wrapper ) or any form of outfit as long as long it is made with an African fabric; be it lace, Ankara or aso oke, the look is incomplete without a head gear. So basically, the gele completes the look.

From 2010 to now, the rise of creative forms of gele is incredible. It is so prominent that even Lagbaja (a Nigerian Musician) wrote a song about it; “onigele yi, skentele…..onigele, skontolo” and at owambes, local drummers (mainly a group of Yoruba men in dashiki or Ankara) would walk up to women with beautiful geles; beating their talking drums and singing “ewo gele gen gen lori aji gbotoko” (loosely translated as look at the beautiful head gear on the woman who respects her husband) and as tradition, these women will then spray the drummers some Naira notes.

All these show that gele isn’t just a wardrobe staple; it is also a culture that is well appreciated not just by women who wear them but also by men.
The gele is usually adorned during weddings and special events. It is used to complement the traditional attire and is an ultimate stunner and statement maker. It can be tied using different fabrics such as damask, brocade, aso oke or singele. These fabrics come in a wide array of colors, patterns and textures all contributing to the unique beauty of the gele. 

The tying of the gele is an art in itself and it requires creativity, dexterity and skill. Some women prefer their gele to be moderate, others like elaborate and flamboyant styles and if you are one of those wedding guests who don’t like turning up in a conventional look, you can simply tie your aso oke as a turban. Whatever your preference, the gele would definitely add more glam to your look. Do you know that there are names given to different kinds of gele? There is asake gele avant garde, onile gogoro, take a bow, abebe gele, oleku gele and so on.

It has also become a money making venture as we have certain makeup artiste who specialize in the art of tying gele such as the famous segun gele, whos based in the United States and our very own Lagos-Nigerian based Ojulewa. These people tie gele for a living and also train interested persons to become expert in the field.

We do hope you get inspiration and ideas from the beautiful collection of gele styles.

Makeup & Gele by – @fixumakeover