The question raised here is not referring to the most obvious ...food, drinks and those dealing with a hangover, too drunk to find their way home:)
With leftovers, I am referring to the less obvious....the exceptionally expensive outfits made specially for such an occasion... you know, the eloquent dress of the bride and her maids. In particular, I am referring to all the geles (head gears) and Aso ebis (uniform-like fabrics) elegantly styled and worn by the numerous guests to a 'typical" West African/Nigerian wedding fiasco!
Gele and Aso ebi are gorgeous fabrics specially chosen such that the invitee is required to wear on the day of the occasion. These fabrics can be styled in anyway the guest like but they should be worn so as to be recognized as an important guest who has some form of relationship to the celebrant(s). Geles and Aso ebi must be carefully taken into consideration as part of the wedding plan, they are just as important as the guest list, venue or menu for the day.
Geles are head gears (head tie), expertly tied such that the outcome looks like it is competing with the wedding cake. These days, you may need to order your gele with a professional to tie it up and you have to do this on time to ensure you are not left standing out there alone with nothing on your head.
Each wedding is unique and so are gele and Aso ebis! No one wants you to repeat your outfit to their wedding....no no no! So, hence the question begs....what to do with all the geles and Aso ebis acquired from the several weddings attended in ones adult lifetime?
Perhaps, like my grandmothers', they are collected with such fond memories and delicately kept away in some trunk. They are stored away and on the rare occasions, used to an event when not considered important enough to be assigned a gele or Aso ebi. And eventually, the trunk with its content are discarded as waste because no one accepts to inherit more of such items..."no thanks but I have enough historic collection of mine".
How can such vibrant, gorgeous clothes and fabrics, which have been designed and crafted by human labour with earth's limited resources go to waste?
Not wanting to accept that my wedding gele and Aso ebi, should have such fate, I started to transform them into something useful. What was once discarded and occupying precious space in my wardrobe got recycled into something new! I converted them first into cushion pillows for my living room, thus enhancing beauty of my home. Photos, albums and videos are great to have but these serve as constant reminders of my special day!
Furthermore, I have discovered that geles, due their characteristic durability and superior quality, can be used to create stylish functional bags and accessories. These add exciting colour and style to your everyday look or serve as unique gifts to be cherished by your loved ones.
UnikBlends offers you the opportunity to transform your once loved fabrics and old clothes into something excitingly new, #Old2new! Give your wardrobe an exciting new look with these handmade beauties and conveniently get unique gifts from our online shop.
Save the planet as you add style, colour and happiness to your world!
