Aso-Oke: Does the international recognition of a Nigerian textile threaten its female artisans?

The Aso-Oke fabric, a textile emblem of the Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria, is enjoying growing international recognition, featured on runways and integrated into luxury collections. This success is part of the broader wave promoting African fashion on the global stage, from Lagos fashion weeks to international fashion houses seeking textile authenticity. According to Bird Story Agency, which documented this phenomenon, the craze for Aso-Oke masks a more fragile reality: the artisans, historically women, who built this centuries-old textile trade, must contend with rising costs, a growing dependence on imported materials, and the gradual disappearance of traditional weaving expertise. This situation threatens the intergenerational transmission of a centuries-old craft. The challenge for Nigerian weavers is to capture the value created by international demand without losing control of production, while ensuring succession. This paradox illustrates a classic tension in globalized African craftsmanship: visibility on luxury runways does not automatically translate into fair redistribution to local artisans, especially when yarns and dyes come from abroad. The open question remains: can local raw material supply chains and training programs emerge to secure this industry?