Gele (head tie)

The gele is a traditional head tie native to the Yoruba people of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The gele comes in specific shapes and designs. It is worn with other Yoruba women's outfits, like Iro ati buba, Komole, and Asoebi.

It is a tied or wrapped piece of clothing styled around Yoruba women’s heads and is used for fashion and special occasions. It has also been acculturated by some other Nigerian and African ethnicities through popular culture. Geles may nowadays also be designed in ready-to-wear styles called Auto-Gele, invented by Funmi Olurinola, which can be purchased to avoid having to tie the gele each time it is worn.

Gele include many designs: some long and flared out, some layered, some fanned out, and some wrapped up and bunched. Gele are made from many types of fabrics, including Aso-oke, Adire, Aso-olona, Damask, Sego, Senghosen, Jawu, and others. Other types of cloth head coverings in Yoruba culture that are not Gele include Ibori, which is head scarf, and Iborun, which is a shawl; these are all distinct from the gele.

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