Valour Law has written a letter to Irene, accusing her of calling the elaborate head-tie Gele an Ichafu, following their recent exchange on Instagram.

During their Instagram exchange, Irene reportedly stated that Ichafu is a centuries-old indigenous Igbo headgear and that using Ichafu alongside Gele is inclusion rather than renaming.

Valour Law stated that evidence that Igbo women have their own indigenous head-tie traditions does not, by itself, establish that this particular elaborate form originated independently as Ichafu.

Valour Law then presented historical evidence to support its claim that Ichafu is not the elaborate head-tie called Gele. Read below.

1. Oxford English Dictionary (OED): the origin and construction of Gele

The Oxford English Dictionary defines Gele as a West African head-tie originating among Yoruba women, typically made from stiff fabric that can be tied or wrapped around the head to form various shapes.
What this establishes: The OED identifies Gele's Yoruba origin and describes the
construction of the head-tie. The fact that Gele spread beyond Yorubaland does not erase its origin or establish that the same elaborate form originated independently as Ichafu. Its wider adoption and the existence of indigenous names for other communities' headgear are separate questions from the historical origin of this particular form.

2. Northcote Thomas: historical photographs of Ibo women 1909-1913

Northcote Thomas's photographic material shows Igbo women wearing flat, bandana-like head-ties.

What this establishes: These photographs provide visual evidence of the forms worn by Igbo women, offering a historical comparison with the elaborate head-tie under discussion.

3. Sylvia Leith-Ross: adoption of the Yoruba style among Igbo women

Source: Sylvia Leith-Ross, African Conversation Piece (Hutchinson, 1944), pp. 85-86.
Her fieldwork among Igbo communities included a journey from January to June 1937.
The relevant account was published in 1944.
Leith-Ross records the following statement, attributed to Mrs Edwards:

"According to Mrs. Edwards ... it all dates from the introduction of the Yoruba style of head-tie, which needs a piece of cloth or silk two yards square, while the Ibo head-tie only needs one yard square."
What this establishes: The passage explicitly connects the introduction of the Yoruba style among Igbo women with the amount of cloth required. The Ibo (Igbo) head-tie described needed one yard, while the Yoruba style needed a two-yard square.

This is more than a general observation that different communities wore different head-ties. The account identifies the Yoruba style as one introduced among Igbo women and distinguishes it from the smaller Ibo (Igbo) form. Read alongside Northcote Thomas's photographs, it provides written and visual evidence of the historical distinction between these forms.

The distinction is particularly relevant to the elaborate form now being presented as Ichafu. The historical account identifies the adoption of a Yoruba style requiring substantially more fabric than the traditional (Ibo) Igbo head-tie described.

4. Betty M. Wass: the 1920 photograph of Gele

Source: Plate 3, Betty M. Wass, Yoruba Dress in Five Generations of a Lagos Family (1979).
Plate 3 provides historical photographic evidence of a woman wearing the Yoruba head-tie (Gele) in 1920.
What this establishes: The photograph documents Gele being worn in 1920, providing
an important historical visual reference for the elaborate Yoruba head-tie. It should be considered alongside the earlier British Museum record and Leith-Ross's account of the introduction of the Yoruba style among Ibo (Igbo) women.

5. British Museum: historical Yoruba head-tie

Source: British Museum, object Af1934,0307.136.
The museum records a Yoruba head-tie dated 1880-1913, measuring 174 x 57 cm and made from five handwoven strips.

What this establishes: This is a historical material record of a Yoruba head-tie predating the twentieth-century popularity of damask discussed in later textile sources.
Source: British Museum collection record.

6. University of the Arts London: Hayes Textiles and Gele

Source: University of the Arts London, London College of Fashion, Discoveries in LCF
Special Collections: From Floral Prints to Nigerian Head Scarves.
The article documents Hayes Textiles, a London company, using floral prints from the 1960s as inspiration for designing and manufacturing cloth for headscarves or ties known as Gele, which were sold on the Nigerian market.
What this establishes: The UAL archive documents the design and manufacture of cloth for Gele and its sale in Nigeria. This is evidence of the textile and commercial history of Gele; it does not suggest that Gele itself originated in the 1960s.
Source: University of the Arts London - Hayes Textiles and Nigerian headscarves.

7. University of Georgia: damask used to make Gele

Source: University of Georgia, West African Textiles.

The publication states that damask fabrics became popular in Nigeria in the late 1960s and early 1970s and that damask weaves were used to make Gele. It describes damask as a stiff fabric with elaborate designs.
What this establishes: This documents damask as one of the fabrics used to make
Gele. Together with the UAL material, it provides evidence of the textiles used for Gele and their production and circulation in Nigeria. Neither source establishes that Gele originated during this period; both concern aspects of its textile history.
Source: University of Georgia - West African Textiles (PDF).

8. What the historical evidence establishes

The sources provide complementary evidence:
The OED identifies Gele's Yoruba origin and describes its construction from stiff fabric arranged into different shapes.
Northcote Thomas's photographs 1909-1913 show lbo (Igbo) women wearing flat, bandana-like head-ties.
Leith-Ross's 1944 account, based on her earlier fieldwork, records the introduction of the Yoruba style among Ibo (Igbo) women and distinguishes its two-yard-square cloth requirement from the one-yard Ibo (Igbo) head-tie.
Wass's 1979 publication, Plate 3, provides a photograph dated 1920 depicting a Yoruba woman wearing Gele.
The British Museum documents a Yoruba head-tie dated 1880-1913.
The University of the Arts London documents Hayes Textiles' design and manufacture of cloth for Gele for the Nigerian market.
The University of Georgia documents the use of damask in making Gele.
The issue is not whether Igbo women have indigenous head-tie traditions, or whether Gele is now worn beyond Yorubaland. It is whether the specific elaborate form being presented as Ichafu can be demonstrated to have originated independently as a centuries-old Igbo form.

An indigenous name for Igbo headgear does not, by itself, establish the independent historical origin of this particular elaborate form. The historical evidence above documents Gele's Yoruba origin, the distinction between the Ibo (Igbo) head-tie described by Leith-Ross and the Yoruba style adopted by Ibo (Igbo) women, and the subsequent material and visual record of Gele.
Please identify the historical evidence that establishes the independent origin of this specific elaborate form as Ichafu.

9. Nigerian Copyright Act 2022

I also draw your attention to Part IX of the Nigerian Copyright Act 2022, particularly sections 74-76.
Section 74(5)(d) includes handicrafts, costumes and indigenous textiles among the productions of folk arts covered by the Act's definition of folklore. Section 74 addresses specified uses of expressions of folklore and requires appropriate attribution of the source of an identifiable expression of folklore in communications to the public.

Section 76 addresses specified acts involving the intentional or commercial misrepresentation of the source of folklore, as well as distortions that may prejudice the honour, dignity or cultural interests of the originating community.

These provisions may be relevant to the public presentation and attribution of the head-tie forms shown in connection with the exhibition discussed below. I am therefore asking for clarification of the historical basis for the attribution being made.

Official source: Nigerian Copyright Act - Nigerian Copyright Commission.

10. Required corrections to Instagram posts and clarification regarding the exhibition video

In light of the historical evidence outlined above, I call on you to correct all Instagram posts under your control that present the elaborate Yoruba Gele form as Ichafu. You should either amend the captions and labels to identify the head-tie correctly as Gele or remove the posts. The corrections must cover all relevant existing posts, not merely future publications, so that the incorrect attribution is no longer left unchallenged on your platform.

I also ask you to clarify whether the exhibition banner and video that began circulating on X on Sunday, 11 October 2026, in connection with the Ichafu Exhibition at Beauty in the Motherland 2026 event, and branded "Ichafu by Ireneartistry", belong to you or your business, or were created, commissioned, authorised or published by you.

If the video or exhibition materials are yours or were authorised by you, I ask you to publicly correct the attribution, making clear that the elaborate head-tie shown is Gele, and to contact the person or account responsible for circulating the video to request that the incorrect identification be corrected or that the video be removed. I recognise that you may not control another person's post, but you can clarify your own position and take reasonable steps to address the attribution if you are responsible for the material.

My concern is not with recognising indigenous Igbo headgear or the cultural traditions of Igbo women. It is with presenting a historically documented Yoruba Gele form as Ichafu without sufficient historical evidence to establish that this particular form originated independently under that name.

Formal request for corrective action

The historical evidence presented in this letter warrants a clear distinction between indigenous Igbo head-tie traditions and the elaborate Yoruba Gele form at issue. Recognising and celebrating Igbo cultural heritage does not justify attributing a documented Yoruba form to a separate origin without adequate historical evidence.

I therefore formally request that you take the following actions:

1. Instagram publications: Correct every relevant post under your control by accurately labelling the head-tie as Gele, or remove the post where the attribution cannot be corrected.

2. Exhibition materials: Confirm whether the exhibition banner and video circulating on X were created, commissioned, authorised or published by you or your business. If they were, issue a clear public correction and contact the account circulating the video to request that the attribution be corrected or the material removed.

3. Historical basis: Identify the historical sources supporting your claim that the specific elaborate head-tie form in question originated independently as Ichafu.

Please provide a written response within 14 days of receiving this letter, addressing each request individually.

I have raised this matter because cultural heritage deserves accurate identification, responsible representation and respect for the historical record. The existence of indigenous Igbo headgear is not in dispute; the issue is the attribution of this particular form. That distinction should be reflected in the material you publish and in any exhibition content for which you are responsible.

I expect this matter to be addressed substantively, rather than through a general assertion of cultural inclusion that does not answer the historical evidence presented. If the attribution is maintained, I ask that the historical basis for doing so be clearly identified and made available for scrutiny.

I hope you will treat this request seriously and take the necessary corrective action to ensure that the public record is accurate.
Yours sincerely,

Yewande Fadeyi
Solicitor of England and Wales
Valour Law

ASA