A dì tí a tún rẹ: the significance of Yoruba tie and dye cloth

A dì tí a tún rẹ: the significance of Yoruba tie and dye cloth

Àdìrẹ, from the Yoruba phrase a dì tí a tún rẹ (to tie and dye), is a patterned cloth typically made by Yoruba women using dye resistant techniques.

Historically, adire referred to indigo-dyed cloth that, as a finished product, would be wrapped around the body and fastened by twisting or used as cover cloth.

Some adire cloths, with their special pattern, were used for religious festivals or important community events such as a king’s coronation.

In the period following Nigeria’s independence in the 1960s, adire was also used to produce European-inspired garments. Today, adire colloquially refers to a wide range of cloths, in various colours and patterns that depart from the historically recognised adire, but that are tie-and-dye cloths.

In this presentation we will explore the history of adire, its significance in western Yoruba culture, and its contemporary use in the bustling Nigerian fashion industry.

**If you are unable to make the live talk, Benjamina has kindly agreed that we can record her talk and send you a link afterwards. Sign up to Eventbrite to be on the list for the recording.**

Speaker: Benjamina Efua Dadzie

Benjamina Efua Dadzie is a researcher with focus on historical collections and the belongings of African people. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Archaeology from the University of Manchester, and a Master’s in the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas from the Sainsbury Research Unit, University of East Anglia. She is currently a PhD candidate at the Sainsbury Research Unit, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-east England (CHASE).

In her work and collaborations in the heritage sector across Europe and Africa, she has been concerned with living cultures, memory, and exploring issues of power and self-determination through materiality.

Images: Benjamina Efua Dadzie; Stack of adire from Abeoukuta & Adire Market Week 2022 CC BY-SA 4.0; Indigo adire cloth, 1976.509 C © Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge.

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Follow the Costume & Textile Association's Eventbrite page to receive notifications when new events are posted. Talks are held monthly on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings at 7pm.

Spring & Summer 2026

Tues 13 January A Short History of Blackwork Embroidery with artist Toni Buckby

Tues 10 February Fragmented Histories: Piecing Together the Harris Collection with Jessica Gasson, the Courtauld Institute

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Tues 9 June V&A East Storehouse with Dr Georgia Haseldine, V&A East Storehouse

Tues 28 July A dì tí a tún rẹ: the significance of Yoruba tie and dye cloth with Benjamina Efua Dadzie, Sainsbury Research Unit

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