Weaving Cultures, Strengthening Bonds: China-Nigeria Fashion Fusion Embodies the Belt and Road Spirit
瀚海丝路·缠锦绕芳：以时装强化一带一路精神
历史背景
尼日利亚时装传统，可追溯自超过250个不同族裔群体，其中包括了约鲁巴人(Yoruba)、伊博人(Igbo)和豪萨-富拉尼人(Hausa-Fulani)。殖民时期之前，各族群以本地物料百花齐放，约鲁巴织工为皇族制作阿索奥凯布(aso oke)；伊博社群则偏爱象征纯洁的阿奎奥查布(akwa ocha)；豪萨-富拉尼人穿着适应干旱气候的巴班里加袍(babban riga)。殖民地统治之后，西方布料的流入，却激发蜡染的安卡拉印花(ankara prints)布料复兴。尼日利亚独立之后，时装又成为文化身份认同载体。今天，代表尼日利亚电影业的「诺莱坞」(Nollywood)和非洲节拍音乐(Afrobeats)流行文化，尼日利亚时装更推向全球，成为连结族裔传统与泛非洲文化当代风貌。
文化交流
中国的经典图案，正为尼日利亚时服传统，注入了新层次。中国的「缠枝纹」溶入尼日利亚传统服饰，添上生生不息的意境，呼应尼日利亚崇敬生命的思想。这种融合融入了中国美学，转化尼日利亚传统变为跨文化内容。
中国物料和工艺提升尼日利亚纺织。丝绸与尼日利亚棉布传统结合，创造出既保留实用性，又融入工艺传承的混合布料。中国织带引入了古老编织技术，进一步提升工艺。中国象征色彩深化了尼日利亚的色彩语言：红色和金色与尼日利亚传统交融，扩展了色彩表达。上述融合让尼日利亚传统具包容性和国际共鸣，体现「一带一路」的「互学互鉴」精神。
融合丝路元素系列
本系列以丝绸之路为历史纽带，采用尼日利亚标志性传统服饰，包括阿索奥凯布、阿奎奥查布和巴班里加袍的设计意念。设计融入了中国经典图案，包括象征生长的缠枝纹、喻意智慧的卷草纹、象征贸易路线的水波纹。
本系列透过图案、色彩和物料，诠释商贸繁荣与文化交流。尼日利亚的大胆印花与中国缠枝纹、卷草纹交织。以尼日利亚的鲜艳的红、金、靛蓝色彩，融合中国的经典色调，布料配搭了丝绸和现代纺织品，变成既尊重历史贸易，又拥抱创新，伸延丝绸之路故事，继往开来。
设计理念
系列将中尼两国文化精髓，编织入时装，呼应「一带一路」提倡互学互鉴、互联互通精神。每个细节连结两国传统，回应「一带一路」跨区域协作的愿景。
缠枝纹呼应尼日利亚对生命力的崇敬。棉丝混纺象征「一带一路」重振历史贸易连结的承诺。红色既尊重西非土地又呼应中国的生命力象征;金色唤起跨境商贸繁荣。中国织带增添传统工艺。
水波纹象征「一带一路」海上合作，以缠枝纹反映民心相通，金色呼应共同繁荣。本系列体现「一带一路」的精神，透过文化融合，强化中尼的联系——构建互利共赢、共同未来的命运共同体。
Country: Nigeria
Designers: Ismail Baba Aliyu
国家：尼日利亚
设计师：展飞
Historical Context
Nigeria's fashion heritage is rooted in its over 250 ethnic groups, including the Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa-Fulani. Pre-colonial societies utilized locally sourced materials: Yoruba weavers crafted aso oke for royals; Igbo communities favored akwa ocha symbolizing purity; Hausa-Fulani wore babban riga adapted to arid climates. Colonialism introduced Western fabrics but spurred a heritage revival through ankara prints. Post-independence, fashion became a tool for cultural identity. Today, Nigeria's Nollywood and Afrobeats culture have globalized its fashion, linking its ethnic past to a pan-African present.
Nigeria-China Cultural Exchange
Chinese classic motifs infuse new layers into Nigerian sartorial heritage. China's "tangle of twigs and grasses" motif enriches Nigerian traditional dress by adding vitality continuity, aligning with Nigeria's reverence for life. This transforms Nigerian heritage into a cross-cultural expression, embedding Chinese aesthetic values.
Chinese materials and craftsmanship enhance Nigerian textile heritage. Blending silk with Nigeria's cotton-based traditions creates a hybrid that preserves practicality while infusing artisanal heritage. Chinese woven tapes introduce ancient weaving techniques, elevating craftsmanship. Chinese symbolic colors deepen Nigeria's color symbolism: red and gold merge with Nigerian traditions, expanding the color language. This integration makes Nigerian heritage more inclusive and internationally resonant, embodying the Belt and Road Initiative's "mutual learning" spirit.
Design Concept:
Utilizing the Silk Road as a historical link, this collection takes iconic Nigerian traditional clothing forms—aso oke, akwa ocha, and babban riga—as its carrier. The design integrates China's classic motifs: intertwined tendrils symbolizing growth, scroll patterns evoking wisdom, and wave patterns symbolizing trade routes.
The collection interprets commercial prosperity and cultural exchanges through patterns, colors, and materials. Nigeria's bold prints intertwine with China's tendrils and scrolls. Vibrant Nigerian reds, golds, and indigos blend with China's classic colors. Local fabrics are paired with silk and modern textiles, honoring historical trade while embracing innovation, weaving a narrative of how the Silk Road's legacy endures today.
Design Philosophy
This collection weaves China and Nigeria's cultural essences into fashion, linking to the Belt and Road Initiative's spirit of mutual learning and interconnection. Every detail bridges the two nations' heritages while echoing the BRI's vision of cross-regional collaboration.
The tangle of twigs and grasses aligns with Nigeria's reverence for vitality. Cotton blended with silk symbolizes the BRI's commitment to reviving historical trade links. Red honors West Africa's soil and China's vitality symbolism; gold evokes cross-border commerce prosperity. Chinese woven tapes add traditional craftsmanship.
Wave lines symbolize the BRI's maritime cooperation. The tangle of twigs reflects people-to-people exchanges. Gold echoes shared prosperity goals. This collection embodies the BRI's ethos, using cultural fusion to strengthen China-Nigeria bonds—building a community of mutual benefit and shared future.