Over the past decade, cultural fashion has transitioned from ceremonial and special occasion wear to everyday wardrobes, redefining the way men can express themselves in fashion. From all over Africa, and particularly in Nigeria, agbada, isiagu, senator suits, and even aso oke have come to the red carpet, fashion showrunways, and Instagram timelines. The return is not only nostalgia for tradition but also the redefining of men’s fashion in modern style.
What is impressive is the manner in which cultural cloth is no longer the domain of tradition alone. To a generation of men, it has evolved into a language of identity, a means of distinguishing oneself in global conversations about fashion while preserving its cultural roots. Designers like Mai Atafo and Ugo Monye have played a pivotal role in this transformation, reimagining traditional cuts through modern silhouettes, soft fabrics, and dramatic tailoring. A suit and sneakers, or an agbada and turtleneck worn over it, would have raised eyebrows years ago. Today, it is a look that combines past and present in effortlessly cool ways.
Cultural attire in men’s style also points to the world’s thirst for authenticity. In an era when fast fashion begins to feel homogeneous, cultural clothing is something distinct. The garments carry meaning: agbada for status, isiagu for Igbo royalty, or aso oke for Yoruba ritual. When redressed in contemporary silhouettes, these items are conversation starters, signifiers of pride, and wearable histories.
Celebrities and influencers have amplified the trend, with local dressing going global. When Ebuka Obi-Uchendu walked into Banky W’s wedding in Ugo Monye’s agbada, social media was buzzing for weeks. The photo was not only a viral hit; it was a directional indicator of the way cultural wear could put men’s fashion today on the same pedestal as any Italian suit.
But cultural cloth on the rise is not only red carpet news. Astonishingly, regular men are making it a part of their daily lives, too, by combining kaftans with loafers as a work fashion element and senator styles for going out at night. Social media like Instagram and TikTok have made fashion more experiential, enabling young men to post how they redesign tradition in their own wardrobe. This online presence has also driven greater demand for tailors and designers, transforming cultural attire into more than a fleeting fashion trend but more an increasingly significant economic force within men’s fashion.
This trend is more than a fashion statement. In an era when cultural erasure is too frequently the result of globalisation, wearing traditional attire in new ways is a gesture of soft resistance and self-fashioning. It defies the notion that modernity and tradition are mutually exclusive, but instead are compatible with each other in ways that enrich both. For young men especially, cultural cloth speaks identity, pays homage to heritage, and remakes African menswear as a global fashion frontier.
Finally, this intersection of cultural clothing and modern men’s fashion is all about harmony in the end. It is a tribute to the ancestors who imbued cloth with meaning, and in the belief that future men’s fashion can be both stylish and innovative, yet boldly African. With a runway from Milan, a wedding from Lagos, or an evening out from Accra, cultural fabric still proves that heritage, when reinterpreted, is immortal.
