The Yoruba native caps are popularly known as ‘Fila’ which is the Yoruba name for cap.
Fashion is constantly changing, however, nativecaps still remain the same as they were many years ago.
In Nigeria, traditional fashion styles are not complete without a matching cap. It is a unique part of the outfit that makes every man wearing native look dashing.
It is therefore very vital that the cap matches the cloth whether it be aso-oke, velvet, damask or cotton the colour of the cap must compliment that of the cloth, if not it will be considered to be off.
The direction to which the cap is folded could depicts the men marital status. For the single men the Fila is folded to the left and for the married to the right… (ladies take note 😉)
The Fila could come in many different colours, shapes and designs and the most popular ones out there are:
1. Abeti Aja”, which means ‘like dog ear’. This kinf of fila is shaped in triangular forms with two edges sticking out and bent upwards like the ears of a dog. This style is quite antique and was very popular with the ancient aso-oke fabric.
yoruba man in rocking his fila abeti aja
2. Kufi style is very common among Yoruba Muslims and also royal people. It is usually worn on dashiki lace style or Senegal over all.
fila kufi from the Islamic origin
3. Fila Gobi, or ‘Fila oko iyawo’. This is the most common style of Yoruba cap these days. make sure that it fits your head properly when you try to purchase one. You can fold this any way you like whether forward, backwards, right or left sides.
Blue asoebi made fila gobi or oko-iyawo
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