Acceptability and the use of African fabrics for formal wears among women in tertiary institution, Delta State Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the acceptability and the use of African fabrics for formal wears among women in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria. Three research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. Descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The population was 3,564 female academic and non-academic staff in tertiary institution and a multi-stage sampling techniques was used where three tertiary institutions were randomly selected. Then purposive sampling technique of 400 female academic and non-academic staff from three tertiary institution was used to select a sample size of 20 respondents comprising three various tertiary institutions. Data was collected with questionnaire and analyzed using mean standard deviation and test at 0.05 level of significance difference. The findings suggest that targeted educational programs and collaborations with fashion designers could enhance the visibility and desirability of African fabrics in formal wear, promoting not only local craftsmanship but also a sense of cultural pride among the youth. This study contributes to the discourse on fashion, identity, and the role of textiles in contemporary Nigerian society, offering recommendations for stakeholders to foster a more inclusive approach to clothing that celebrates African heritage. Based on the findings presented, it can be concluded that there is great acceptance of the use of African fabrics for the production of formal wears among women in Tertiary institutions. The findings showed that majority of academics and non-academic women accepted the use of Africa fabrics for formal wear based on their good design cost effective, uniqueness and the combination of bright colours.