Coast To Coast: A New Series Documenting Indigenous Fabrics in Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria - Nigeria is well-known for its entertainment industry, in particular Nollywood, which stands as the second-biggest film market by volume after Bollywood in India and before Hollywood in the United States. However, past the melo-dramas, comedies, and romance films is a small niche market for domestic documentary film and more specifically, documentary focused on history, the arts, and local culture.

Coast To Coast - Uncovering Nigerian-Made Fabrics, a new mini-series from Modé Aderinokun's STUDIO OF MODÉ, is tackling a long intriguing topic of indigenous fabrics in Nigeria. With a raw approach, Aderinokun and her team outline the journey from farm to fabric across the country. Traversing locales as diverse as Kano, Abuja, Osogbo, and Ogidi, Coast to Coast deeply questions the narratives, lost and found, of Nigerian craftsmanship and the materials (such as cotton and Anaphe silk) that lent themselves to truly remarkable innovations in fabric and design (such as aso-oke and akwete). Aderinokun soon discovers a few of the techniques are still possible to continue today, but have been disregarded and not held by a broad enough group to maintain the history. One particularly gut-wrenching scene shows her lamenting the poor record-keeping of weaving patterns of a once-vibrant fabric manufacturer. However, the series is not all somber tones - a fun cameo from Mama Nike of Nike Art Gallery is proof that the keepers of history are still willing to share their knowledge and keep traditional craftsmanship alive. The series coincides with a six-week exhibition Fabrics & Dyes held in Ikoyi at STUDIO OF MODÉ through July 2, 2017.

Check out a sneak peek of the series here.