If someone tells you they're "wearing native" to a wedding this weekend, in most of West Africa that means one thing first: buba and sokoto. It's the baseline of men's traditional dress, the outfit a kaftan or agbada gets layered over, not a replacement for it.
What buba and sokoto actually are
Buba is the top, a loose, round-necked tunic that drops past the waist. Sokoto is the trouser, cut wide through the leg and gathered at the ankle with a drawstring waist. Together they make a two-piece outfit that's worn on its own for everyday occasions or as the base layer under an agbada (the flowing outer robe) for weddings and formal events. The pairing is common across Yoruba, Hausa, and broader West African dress, which is why you'll see it called different things: native wear, sokoto clothing, or just "buba and sokoto."
Buba and sokoto vs kaftan vs agbada
The three get confused because they overlap. A kaftan is typically a single, more fitted robe, often the dressier, going-out-alone option. Buba and sokoto is the two-piece base layer. Agbada is the oversized outer robe worn over buba and sokoto for the most formal occasions: weddings, chieftaincy titles, religious ceremonies. If you only need one outfit and want it to read as dressed up but not over the top, buba and sokoto on its own does that job.
The Men's Ankara Buba and Sokoto Outfit
Sokofa's Ankara Buba and Sokoto Outfit is tailored from wax print fabric rather than plain cotton, which gives it more presence for events like Aso Ebi and weddings without tipping into full agbada formality. It's made to order, so you provide measurements for a tailored fit rather than picking a stock size. £165, sold by SWCU Global.
If you want the dressier alternative
For occasions that call for something closer to a kaftan than a two-piece, the Modern Jacquard Men's Kaftan adds a black-rim finish over jacquard fabric, cut-to-fit the same way. £80, sold by Princesschi Trend Ltd.
For the more casual end
The Regal Dashiki is the loosest, most everyday-wearable piece in this group, a single tunic with Asooke-style accents that works for casual outings as easily as cultural events. £40, unisex, sold by Princesschi Trend Ltd.
Where to buy
Browse the full range of men's native wear, kaftans, and agbada-adjacent pieces on Sokofa's men's fashion page.
