The painstaking and slow passage of African indigenous fashion from African cinema is swiftly tackled in the auteur behind Ololade, one of Netflix’s recent original productions.
The six-episode TV Serial, directed by Adeniyi Omobulejo, bares the beauty, and ‘soul’ of indigenous African fashion in a dominantly flamboyant way.
The story follows the lives of two friends navigating their sudden, controversial wealth, with sub-plots of their estranged marriages crumbling further under the burdens of polygamy and marital infidelity.
Priscilla Anachu, Ololade’s illustrious costumier, adorns the main cast with mostly African textile, amplifying their relatability and distinct characterization.
She weaves two distinct parallels between the two main protagonists, Shina, played by Kunle Idowu, and Lateef, played by Femi Adebayo; as Shina’s minimalist buttoned shirts and bland styling emphasised his lack of taste and low-income social class, while his friend, Lateef, is seen as richer, more bohemian, and extravagant, with his loosely buttoned silk shirts, gold wristwatches, and denim jackets.
Anachu’s portrayal of their taste differences equally reflects after both friends hit their jackpots, with Shina’s minimalism shining through his use of Dashikis, and blandly single-coloured Kaftans, while Lateef’s bright-coloured Fila (Yoruba ceremonial headgear) and Nigerian native wear (a popular Nigerian men’s clothing woven in Asian cashmere fabric) signalling his sophisticated taste.
Flipside, the syntax behind Anachu’s styling reflects emotive depth or ‘soul’ behind the characters, especially in the clergyman Oluso, played by Femi Adebayo, Mrs Adebisi, as played by Jaiye Kuti, and the wives of both friends, Sade, as played by Mide Martins, and Iyabo, as played by Mercy Aigbe.
In Oluso’s case, the cleric is adorned with a Black Cassock and white stole, throughout the entire movie, reminding one of wardrobe choices made by Charlotte Morris in Merlin, where a character wears one outfit to signify a particular permanence in philosophical perspectives or life situations.
In Ololade, Oluso wears a single colour of cassock religiously throughout the movie, subtly buttressing his transactional or charlatan-esque persona which manifests fully in the serial’s finale.
In the fourth episode, again, we see Oluso switch the stole from being placed on his neck, like a shawl, to being placed diagonally across his body, which is inconsistent with global clergy practices for priests; it is a dress style reserved for deacons.
Anachu uses these subtle visual markers, also abetted by the outlandish set design, to easily suggest dubiousness in Oluso’s character.
Still on showcasing the emotive depth of the characters, Anachu replicates this styling effort in Mrs Adebisi (Shina’s mother), adorning her in the typical Nigerian aged mother persona; she wears an Iro and Buba (sleeved blouse and wrapper) throughout most of the movie.
In the third episode, where she moves into her son’s house, she is dressed typically in her wrapper and blouse regalia, but Anachu emphasises her quarrelsome ‘mood’ with the extra wrapper on her chest, strung tightly across her blouse.
It could also reflect her sleepwear needs, typical with the practice of aged Nigerian women using multiple wrappers to protect themselves from cold air at night. Nonetheless, it carefully emphasises Mrs Adebisi’s persona as a troublesome mother-in-law and over-doting mother.
Apart from the emotive depth of the characters, Anachu also cleverly exposes the intricacies behind polygamist marriages within the styling of their rival wives. In Sade’s (Shina’s wife) case, her husband’s mistresses appear in less stylish apparels, revealing a certain tragic flaw in Shina’s motivation behind exploring multiple wives: childlessness, and not Sade’s physical appearance.
In fact, Sade’s Adire silk boubous, and sequined blouses, signify her stellar fashion taste, irrespective of her family’s income classes. She also runs a salon, which her husband’s mistress mischievously visits to stir up a hornet’s nest, indicating her genuine interest in fashion and beauty.
For Iyabo (Lateef’s wife), her husband’s mistresses all appear up-to-par with her own high fashion standards, revealing his character flaws as borderline promiscuity, indiscipline and an apparently bizarre case of Stockholm syndrome.
Importantly, in Ololade, Anachu sets a strong cultural undertone, with the use of African print, in diverse styling choices, from casual to ceremonial wear.
She equally emphasizes the cultural nuances behind colour and print type, highlighting the Aso Ebi (family wear) tradition that is primordial to African heritage; in the second episode where Shina is hosting a housewarming gala, all members of his family are dressed in Orange Ankara print and silver Gele and Fila (headgears).
They are carefully distinguished from friends and well-wishers, in line with usual practice at such ceremonies. Across all six episodes in the TV serial, there is a ting of Nigerian culture boldly resplendent through Anachu’s use of African print.
Anachu’s Afrocentric artistic motifs foster the period setting of the screenplay, set in present-day Nigeria, as well as illuminate the film’s production design, glossing the screenplay with hues, tones and undertones that colour both the narrative with filmmaking soul, and syntax.
Another recent Nigerian blockbuster that embodies a similar appeal is Kemi Adetiba’s crime thriller, King of Boys, which equally shines in both usage of African fashion styles; showcasing emotive depth in styling; as well as emphasis of cultural nuances in the overall ‘wardrobe vs plot’ adaptation.
Overall, Anachu’s work in Ololade is reflective of brilliant precision, and an Afro-sentimental spirit that strengthens the drama, stretches the plot and improves the film’s recall value. It’s a very spirited contribution to Nollywood’s costuming sub-scene in recent times.
Anachu is a filmmaker specialising in wardrobe and costume design. She is the brain behind the fashion choices of Nollywood award-winning films including Ololade, One Too Many, Masked King, May 29, Shadows, The Last Six Months, Runner, Glitch, The Streets Know My Name, among others.
The latter has also recently been nominated for the Best Short Student Documentary at the In The Palace short film festival. She has also styled many large-scale TV commercials for brands like Maggi, Seahorse, among others.
An Accountant turned filmmaker, Anachu is presently pursuing a postgraduate degree in Production Management for Film, TV, and Digital Media at the University of Salford, in the United Kingdom, which intersects her expertise in costuming and production management. She’s also a film-reviewer and jury member at the Lift-off Global Network Limited, at Pinewood Studios, United Kingdom.
