00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:02 These hats are more than just an accessory.
00:06 Traditional Nigerian men's fashion
00:08 would not be complete without a matching cap.
00:10 These caps come in different designs and cultural symbols.
00:15 Growing up as a child, most of us
00:17 learned how to style these caps, how to pick the pieces
00:21 to complement what you're wearing.
00:24 But before we get into the secret of how to style
00:27 and wear the fila properly and what it says about the person
00:31 wearing it, let's find out why the cap is
00:34 so important for Yoruba men.
00:36 Femi Adekombi is a Lagos-based designer
00:39 who has been making fila caps for over five years.
00:42 For example, this is the etsu fabric.
00:47 It comes in a pink stripe blue adorned with a powder
00:51 blue and bright yellow.
00:54 This design is called the Andin And.
00:56 It symbolizes friendship and relationships with people.
01:00 In the Nigerian culture, men's hats
01:02 are both culturally significant and a form
01:05 of individual expression.
01:07 At the same time, they show a deep connection
01:09 to tradition and spirituality.
01:11 And Femi can bring all this together in one hat.
01:15 This is a design by us that we made with velvet.
01:21 And the embroideries are supposed
01:23 to mean Nigerians arguing with each other
01:26 about politics.
01:27 This is ace design.
01:29 It comes from the popular card games.
01:32 And we designed them with trees beside them
01:37 just to give it an accommodating feel.
01:39 Before we reveal the secret of how to wear the fila properly,
01:43 let's find out how they're produced in the first place.
01:46 Why does Femi work with about 13 local artisans
01:49 from across various parts of the southwestern parts of Nigeria,
01:53 such as Ife and Ijebu?
01:56 This is a popular town known for its techniques
01:58 in handling knitting of caps.
02:00 And they've been doing this for over 100 years.
02:03 They are known for this particular profession.
02:05 And we are going to be showing you ways on how
02:08 we are going to make a complete cap, from the cutting,
02:11 to the lining, to the joining, and the knitting process.
02:13 This is my parents' work.
02:15 And I love the work so much.
02:17 And I've been doing this work like 17 to 20 years ago.
02:21 This is where we make our knitting process
02:23 for some of our caps.
02:25 The cap we're working on is going
02:27 to be made with a powder blue design and a navy blue design.
02:30 It's going to take us about two to three days
02:32 to complete the process.
02:33 We love to use the original hand-woven cotton loom fabrics
02:40 for our caps.
02:40 So we are going to be cutting this into a size 23.
02:43 And we cut the swaths of fabric in a diagonal way
02:47 to enable you to be able to flip your caps on the sides.
02:53 Why is it important to be able to flip the cap to the side?
02:57 More on that later.
02:59 We cut them into swaths of fabrics.
03:01 And we line them from the inside.
03:03 We join the swaths of fabric.
03:06 And the fabrics are cut into sizes
03:10 because to enable us to get the right shape of the cap.
03:14 So we join them together and line the fabrics
03:17 from the inside.
03:17 When we are done with the line of the fabrics,
03:20 we take it to the knitting process and start knitting.
03:22 Knitting usually takes a couple of days
03:25 to complete because every stitch is done by hand.
03:29 And we have to take our time and make sure
03:31 that the products are as fine as they've been for centuries.
03:35 And once it's done, we take it to the eating pad
03:38 where it is well-beaten to give it
03:41 a final flat form that keeps the originality of the embroideries.
03:45 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:49 Does this painstaking manual work pay off?
03:52 Femi's hats are made by local artisans, which
03:55 strengthens the local community.
03:57 His hats are sold worldwide, which
03:59 boosts the Nigerian economy and helps
04:02 with the preservation of the Yoruba traditions.
04:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:07 The embroideries can last for as long as 10, 15, 20 years,
04:13 depending on how you keep them.
04:15 They can be passed on from generation to the other.
04:19 Now that you've found out how the traditional filas are made,
04:22 it's time to unravel the final mystery of the Yoruba cap.
04:26 How does a man actually wear it?
04:29 It is a general saying that when you're married,
04:32 you wear your cap to the left.
04:35 And when you're not yet married, you wear it to the right,
04:38 in this form, in this form.
04:41 And for those that are not searching, you wear it to the front.
04:45 And because of this mysterious science
04:47 that men can make their fila talk,
04:49 should Yoruba hats be preserved?
04:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:54 It's important that we keep the Yoruba fila
04:56 as a cultural accessory or staple piece for as long as we can.
05:00 Because just like the language itself,
05:02 where we have to protect it and transfer it to our kids
05:05 and make sure it doesn't die.
05:07 Other fashion trends are constantly changing.
05:09 And so are the designs of the fila.
05:12 What doesn't change is the art of making Yoruba caps
05:15 and how to wear them.
05:17 And Femi Adekombi makes sure that the fila remains
05:20 a reminder of the rich culture of the Yoruba people in Nigeria.
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