Monday, February 7, 2011

GELE...Good Heads







I was at a party the other day and I just could not stop staring at the women there. Not for obvious reasons, sure some of them were endowed, but that's not what was holding my attention. My eyes were fixed on their beautiful Gele. As an African man I have seen women wear head ties since I was a little childd and it never had an impact on me.




That night was different I found myself admiring the dazzling displays some of the women had on their heads. After seeing this an idea popped into my head; why not document it, write about it, and maybe even profit from it. Below is a very short excerpt from my manuscript. I don't think I can handle a full fledged book, so I am going to make it a coffee table book with vivid pictures, descriptions, and other blurbs. The tentative title is GELE (cliche yes...but thats why it's a working title).





The first human to wear a hat probably never thought much of it. As time went on, the purpose and need of head gear went from protection purposes to sartorial needs. Hats have advanced from the protective yet decorative Roman Legionnaire's helmet to backward baseball caps for gang identification. With this said the first woman that probably wore a Gele never knew what kind of movement she was starting.



The Gele is the quintessential head gear for Nigerian women specifically those of the Yoruba tribe of the southeast. The only other fashion accessory that can possibly compare to it is the African American womans' church hat. Perhaps there is an anthropological link between these two phenomenas that was lost in translation during slavery. The Gele is not only a fashion accessory it also serves as a mood indicator, a social id card; and if your’re unfortunate to be sitting behind one an obstruction.



From the size and shape of a Yoruba woman’s gele, a trained eye can identify her social standing and marital status. The Gele is like a peacocks feathers, it boldly identifies the wearer to whoever is around. The rise and popularity of Gele has not been isolated to the shores of Africa. Western designers and sartorialists have involved Gele into their work. Christian Lacroix Spring/summer 2008......






*Legal Disclaimer*

None of These Images belong to me.



6 comments:

  1. Awesome...Don't forget to mention the time and effort that goes in to tying the piece...

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  2. Yea thats def gonna be part of it...also interviews, costs, and other little information.

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  3. For a man to apreciate this is really awesome....

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  4. I love this! ...Maybe you can add a "shoe and bag" segment!

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  5. Thanks for reading Charlene..making progress in on the book.

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  6. Great idea on the shoe and bag..will keep that in mind thanks.

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