The African Boubou

The African boubou also know as bubu or grand bubu, is traditional clothing style commonly worn in many countries in West Africa. Its a flowing loose fitting garment made from colorful and vibrant fabrics. The boubou is an African robe that drapes down over the shoulders and billows at the sleeves.

A boubou is an over-the-head, draped garment with wide sleeves, historically worn by men among West African indigenous groups in the 8th century.

The cloth was woven into strips and cut for the neck opening. It was professionally dyed, and heavily embroidered by religious scholars and artisans as a sign of prestige.

With the Islamic empires taking control of the region, especially after the 15th century, the Muslim clothing , such as kaftan , became synonymous with power and gave rise to spin-off styles that are worn today by men and women of different faiths. Historically, boubous were commissioned for wealthy patrons, as their ability to afford fabrics and excessive embroidery around the neck, chest and back gave them a high rank in the society. They are most often called mbubb in Wolof, agbada in Yoruba , riga in Hausa or boubou in French-speaking African countries. 

Traditionally, materials consisted of expensive imported fibers and products, such as cotton , wool and silk , which were transported by Muslim and Asian merchants across the Sahara desert.

In the late 19th century, resistance-dyed textiles (batik ) and Indonesian imitations were brought to West Africa by Dutch settlers. They are today known as ankara Or wax fabric . Just like textiles established in Africa, notably adire and adinkra fabrics.

Kethiakh and Caaviar see the boubou as the most luxurious African design and this need to be brought back to the contemporary African trendsetters with modern twist and to adapt to today lifestyle and aesthetic.