The Dashiki is relevant to African, and African American people because it symbolizes African pride and descendants. There are also several versions of the dashiki both formal and informal, that are worn for different occasions. Informal dashiki have traditional prints, or simple embroidery. They come in sets containing a thigh length shirt and trousers, or a purist option containing a short sleeve styled shirt. Another informal type of dashiki, is a long dashiki suit that contains a shirt that is knee length or longer. An example of an informal dashiki can be seen on the right.
As for formal options for the dashiki, three types exist. 1) Dashiki Sokoto: This set includes a long or short dashiki shirt, drawstring trousers, and a matching hat called a "kufi". This style is popularly worn by grooms during wedding ceremonies. You can also alter this style by wearing a longer ankle length shirt instead of a short dashiki. You can see an example of this is the wedding attire shown to the right. 2) Grand Boubou: Also referred to as Agbada, this is a dashiki set containing trousers and a matching flowing gown paired over the top. This style is usually reserved for Muslims, Tribal chiefs, and Nigerians. 3) Senegalese Kaftan: This consists of a longer ankle length shirt, matching kufi, and sokoto. Sets are determined Senegalese kaftan once the length of the shirt reaches the ankle. |
Examples of dashiki fashion in today's society.
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