ABSTRACT

Different cultures have different costumes and fashion history that identifies them, from the most primitive to the most sophisticated, using clothes and adornments as means of communicating their social and personal status. Though perception through clothes as objects of ethnic identity may be misleading sometimes, clothes still remain as vital tool for non-verbal communication mode of the language of fashion, indicating the significance that accompany the motifs and symbols expressed in them In spite of the socio-cultural, political and economic context of Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups, it appears that many ethnic groups in Nigeria and the Igbo in particular, no longer recognize the fact that costume go beyond articles of beautification. This study investigates the cultural and social roles of the Mmanwu (masquerade) costume. To achieve its objective, the study adopts the survey method for the collection of data through research.