The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi and Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, founder of Africa Fashion Week London have set up an Adire textile factory in Ile-Ife, Osun State. The project is described as the biggest Adire Textile Factory in Nigeria. It is aimed at providing opportunities for cultural exchange between Africans and international students of designs to learn about the unique Adire fabric.
To this end, the Ooni and Princess Ademiluyi, who is the Founder of Africa Fashion Week Nigeria, hinted that the factory was launched to commemorate the Annual Aje Festival in the state.
Besides, the Ooni of Ife has commissioned Africa Fashion Week London and Nigeria to build a new Cultural Centre in Ile-Ife.
The new cultural centre, a massive capital project that will require national and international funding is set to be situated on 30,000 square meters of land in the ancient city.
Princess Ademiluyi, an award-winning fashion icon with huge commitments in positioning Nigeria as a formidable force in leading other top nations in the world of fashion explained that the cultural centre will be a repository of indigenous arts and crafts found in Africa.
A statement on the centre says, “It will provide an ecosystem for development, teaching and learning guided by tradition, innovation and sustainability and will connect the stories of indigenous arts to the heritage of Africa,”
According to her, “Other facilities within the complex will include a gallery for visiting exhibitions, a textile museum, a digital library, heritage artisan village (which will include bronze casting, terracotta pottery and wood carving); an Aso-oke cloth weaving pavilion, Yoruba culture academy, a design innovation lab and timeshare residential lodges.
“The cultural complex project starts with the opening of Phase one – an Adire Textile Hub, which heralds the revival of indigenous fabric production and creative arts in Ife. “The hub will generate employment and become an example of the Non-Oil Export Initiative promoted by the Nigerian government. It will increase the capacity of the artisans working in Ile-Ife and educate them on the importance of sustainability and ethical and environmental practices.”