In Iseyin (a town roughly 200km north of Lagos, long considered the heartland of aso-oke production), weavers are maintaining a centuries-old handweaving tradition even as demand for the fabric surges at home and abroad. Aso-oke — a thick, vibrantly coloured textile woven by the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria — has gained international visibility through the Nigerian diaspora and the country's booming fashion and music scenes, with a high-profile moment coming when Meghan Markle wore the cloth during a 2023 visit to Nigeria. Despite commercial pressure, artisans in Iseyin firmly reject mechanisation, insisting that the hand-loom process is inseparable from the fabric's identity — and the craft is now drawing a new generation of workers, including university graduates, who see it as a viable livelihood.