All series · Indigo & Adire Traditions: 10 Skills in 90 Seconds
10 episodes · watch in order
Indigo & Adire Traditions: 10 Skills in 90 Seconds
A structured ten-episode series tracing Yoruba adire textile arts from raw indigo to finished cloth — covering eleko starch-resist, oniko tie-resist, pattern vocabularies, and how contemporary designers are building on these foundations.
After this series you can
- After this series you can explain the cultural and historical origins of Yoruba adire cloth and its place in West African textile traditions.
- After this series you can distinguish between the eleko starch-resist and oniko tie-resist methods by their tools, materials, and visual results.
- After this series you can identify at least five canonical adire pattern names and describe their symbolic or social meanings.
- After this series you can outline the step-by-step process for preparing indigo dye baths and applying starch or tie-resist before dyeing.
- After this series you can recognise how modern Yoruba and diaspora designers are adapting adire techniques for contemporary fashion contexts.
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01
What Is Adire? Origins and Cultural ContextAfter this episode you can define adire, place its origins in Yoruba society, and state why indigo was the dye of choice historically.✓
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02
Indigo Science: How the Dye Bath WorksAfter this episode you can explain the reduction chemistry behind an indigo vat and describe what a healthy traditional vat looks like.✓
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03
Eleko Explained: Starch-Resist Paste and ToolsAfter this episode you can list the ingredients of eleko paste and identify the tools used to apply it to cloth.✓
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04
Oniko Explained: Tying, Folding, and Binding for ResistAfter this episode you can demonstrate — verbally or in writing — at least three oniko binding techniques and predict the mark each leaves on cloth.✓
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05
Review: Foundations of Adire and Resist Methods ReviewAfter this episode you can accurately compare eleko and oniko across origin, materials, tools, and visual output using knowledge from episodes 1–4.✓
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06
Reading Adire Patterns: Names, Symbols, and MeaningsAfter this episode you can name and visually describe at least five canonical adire patterns and state the social or symbolic association of each.✓
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07
The Role of Adire Women: Craft Economy and Knowledge TransmissionAfter this episode you can explain how adire production was organised as a women-led cottage industry and how knowledge passed between generations.✓
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08
Modern Revival: Contemporary Designers Working with AdireAfter this episode you can identify at least three ways contemporary designers are adapting adire methods and articulate the ethical considerations involved.✓
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09
Caring for and Styling Adire ClothAfter this episode you can state correct care practices for indigo-dyed adire and suggest three styling approaches suited to the cloth's weight and texture.✓
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10
Review: From Pattern Language to Modern Practice ReviewAfter this episode you can synthesise knowledge from all ten episodes to trace adire from its cultural origins through its technical methods to its contemporary relevance.✓
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