Remember your grandmother's aso-oke? The one you thought was old and outdated? That's exactly what Gen Zs were wearing at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQH-CKRDHhS/?igsh=a3Z5cG96a3R5eDI=">Moonshot</a> , <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQ19cNOCK3l/?igsh=ZHl2YW01Mndzajk1">GTCO Fashion</a> Weekend and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DB7MJSsuAla/?igsh=YmltaW5qeW51MGd4">Art X</a>—Except now it's <a href="https://pin.it/zIk3YG74M">cropped</a>, <a href="https://pin.it/6OHSwnXoh">zipped</a>, and <a href="https://pin.it/hmopL7N6t">paired with cargo pants</a>. The fabric hasn’t changed, but the styling definitely has.&nbsp;

Honestly, Gen Z’s cracked the code with this one. Those 'boring' prints our parents kept locked away for special occasions? They're not just Instagram gold, they’re a fresh new wave of creativity, style, and identity. Adire has a texture that photographs beautifully. Aso-oke catches light in a way that makes your feed pop. Ankara is literally designed to stand out. What more can you ask for?

At GTCO Fashion Weekend, we saw Aso-oke crop tops with distressed jeans and Dunks. At Art X, Adire prints were literally selling out while people were still in line. At Moonshot, traditional prints were everywhere, not in that 'I'm going to a wedding' way, but in that 'I'm about to break the internet because I’m effortlessly cool' way.

The beautiful part about this new trend is that it’s going global. Designers like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kennethize/?hl=en">Kenneth Ize</a> are taking African prints to the global stage. He took Aso-oke and made it something <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Dx7B6yjRu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">Naomi Campbell </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHaNGeJAoKv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">Viola Davis</a> would wear to international events. These designers proved that traditional doesn't mean outdated.

And it’s not just them.&nbsp; It's the random girl on your timeline who turned thrifted Ankara into a two-piece set that got 10k likes. It's your friend who wore Adire to a date and got asked 'where did you get that?' It's the slow realization that we've been sleeping on a goldmine.

Traditional fabrics photograph better than anything Zara could ever make. They have texture, color, and most importantly, history. And Gen Z, obsessed with standing out, figured this out fast. This isn't fusion fashion, it’s a traditional reclamation with a side of youthful innovation. Gen Z looked at the fabrics collecting dust and said, 'Actually, we're making this cool again. Without your permission.'

Walk through Lekki, VI, or even Yaba, you'll see it. Heritage prints styled like streetwear. Tradition meeting TikTok. Your grandmother's fabric on Gen Z's moodboard. Unlike older generations who were heavily influenced by neocolonialism, we haven’t rejected where we came from. We just decided it needed better PR.

Nigerian heritage fabrics are back, re,ixed by Gen Z  into stylish modern wear that is bold, creative and proudly cultural

Trends

Old Fabric, New Fashion: How Nigerian Prints Are Taking Over Gen Z Style

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