FCT women say use of turban convenient, economical

Some women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have described the use of turban or head wrap as convenient and economical for all occasions.

Our correspondent observed that the use of turbans have taken over the traditional use of head gears for most functions and some FCT women on Wednesday spoke on the reasons for this trend.

Turban is now popular item in the fashion world and it is a type of head wear based on cloth winding. Traditionally, it is worn as customary head wear by men in North African and Southeast Asia.

But nowadays the turbans or head wraps are becoming a fashion stable as they have even been spotted in international fashion runways by some top models.

Mrs Ugonna Ufere, a lawyer said she had fallen in love with turban for the convenience it affords to the point that she had forgotten about her head gears.

“I am so happy with the use of turban that I have forgotten I had normal head ties. It is so convenient to wear unlike the head gears that you either go to the market or salon to tie.

“It can be used for every occasion like Church or for parties. For the fact it has different designs and very affordable makes it more fun.

“I don’t bother again on how to manage my hair on any special occasion because once I put on my turban, I am trendy and good to go,’’ Ufere said.

Mrs Safiya Mohammed, a banker said turban as a fashion piece had made covering her hair as a Moslem less cumbersome and very fashionable.

“I like using turban as a Moslem woman to cover my head as demands by my religion. It also makes me fashionable.

“You can standout with turban anytime, any day and it is available in different colours.

“With turban bad hair day does not exist,’’ Mohammed said.

Turban sellers are also very excited with the trend as they count their fortunes as the business continues to boom.

Mrs Florence Ezra, dealer in turbans and hair pieces in Wuse market, said that the return of turban had been a blessing to her business.

“I was selling hair accessories and other trendy hair pieces until the return of turban as a fashion trend. It has really brought good fortune to my earlier ailing business.

“I make sales on turban daily. It has different prices ranging from N300 to N4, 500 depending on the fabric. We have them on Swede, Velvet, Lycra and Ankara Fabrics.

“It has different designs also like beaded, stoned, sequined, flowered and the ones with broach attached. So the higher or sophisticated the design, the more the cost,’’ Ezra said.

Mr Hammed Balogun, another dealer in Emab Plaza, Wuse 2, said that the sales he made in turban could not be compared with other items.

“I sell turban more than any other items in my shop. My Moslem sisters patronise me a lot. I noticed the sales increased since the rainy season started.

“It is fashionable and cool when you cover your head with the turban. When you don’t want to wear a full hijab,’’ Balogun said.

Mr Okechukwu Okonkwo, a fabric seller expressed delight with the new fashion trend, saying it had boosted sales of his business.

“I am happy with what fashion is doing currently with fabrics and other sewing accessories. It is very creative and making our business lucrative.

“This creativity has opened doors for employment for many jobless youths. The government cannot employ everybody, so it is good that everyone is trying out new things for survival.

“The truth about turban is that there is market for it. So I urge as many people as possible to get involved and get busy. You don’t need to have a shop to start. You can do it in your house,’’ Okonkwo said.

Alhaji Hamza Abdullahi, a beads merchant in Garki Market said the revival of the use of turban had also increased the level of his daily sales.

“Since the use of beads is gradually going out of fashion, my sales started down but with the craze for turbans, especially with the beaded ones, I have started selling again.’’