African women mainly wear traditional dresses which are most often vibrantly colored. But as with everything, change is inevitable, and especially with fashion the influences of western culture is somewhat inevitable. These were first introduced by Nigerian colonialists and since then have been adapted enthusiastically by the African women. So there have been many influences, and accordingly many changes in the clothing and fashion of African women have been witnessed over the years. But still the essence of the traditional fashion of clothing has been carried forward and is very much still different and distinctive in style, which sets it apart from the rest of the world. The continent is huge and different parts follow different fashion traditions slightly or moderately altered by influences from the West.

Like in most countries the standards of modesty keep shifting with the shifting world situations, and other factors like environmental and political changes. The same is applicable when it comes to African women dresses. Though fashion will not be the proper term that should be used but the clothing styles vary according to the prevalent cultural and ethical standards, and in some parts of the continent it is not considered modest if a women bares their legs, on others the collarbone should not be visible and yet in some others, the entire face should be covered or tattooed so as not to give away the facial feature. These rules are respected and maintained by the women and hence Africa remains different from almost the rest of the world when it comes to women’s fashion.