William Bascom traced the origin to an earlier period when members of Yoruba age grade wore uniform dress to mark fraternal bonds.
[4][5] In the 1950s, members of women's organizations or egbes turned out to ceremonies and anniversaries of relatives in the same style of dress, sandals, lappa, smock, or necklace; the culture signifies close friendship.
Increased demand for handcrafted traditional dresses such as agbada led to a resurgence of tailors and fashion designers specializing in making native attires.
The tailors strived to meet the increasing demand and designs of uniform dressing, sometimes with the aid of the fashion pages of magazines to make style choices.
Some wear expensive embroidery and extra layers of cloth, whereas others, who cannot afford a whole outfit, add only matching tops and head coverings.