A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional clothing, traditional garment or traditional regalia) expresses a national identity through clothing or costume, which is usually associated with a specific region or period of time in history. It can also indicate social, marital, or religious status. If the costume is used to represent the culture or identity of a specific ethnic group, it is usually known as ethnic costume (also ethnic dress, ethnic wear, ethnic clothing, traditional ethnic wear or traditional ethnic garment). Such costumes often come in two forms: one for everyday occasions, the other for traditional festivals and formal wear. The word "costume" in this context is sometimes considered pejorative due to the multiple senses of the word, and in such cases "clothing", "garments" or "regalia" can be substituted without offense.[1][2][3][4]
In areas where Western dress codes have become typical, traditional garments are often worn during special events or celebrations, particularly those connected to cultural tradition, heritage, or pride. International events may cater to non-Western attendees with a compound dress code such as "business suit or national dress".
There are also contemporary societies in which traditional garments are required by sumptuary laws. In Bhutan, for example, the driglam namzha mandates what citizens should wear in public spaces.[6] Bhutanese citizens must wear the traditional clothing of the Ngalop people, including a gho and kera for men and a kira and wonju for women,[7] in or near "monastic fortresses (dzong), monasteries (gompa) and temples (lhakhang), and in government buildings, including when on official business, in schools and institutions, and at official occasions and assemblies".[8] Karin Altmann states that the intent behind this law "was to prevent specific features of Bhutanese culture from disappearing," and "to emphasise national identity",[8] but it has contributed to much conflict due to the sheer ethnic and cultural diversity of Bhutan.[9]
Kenya – There is no national costume, per se, but leso (kanga) is worn throughout Kenya;[14]kikoi, similar to kanga fabric, is also widespread. All tribes have their respective traditional garments, though; for example, the Maasai wear their traditional shuka and beadwork[14]
Hokkaido – Ainuclothing, such as a tepa, a sacred belt called raun kut or upsoro kut, a konci (hood), hos (leggings), and grass skin jackets like tetarabe and utarbe; ceremonial garments include a sapanpe and a matanpushi
Southern Altaians — ton (fur coat), sürü bӧrük (cap), kaptal (overcoat), and the chegedek (Altai-Kizhi) or chedek (Telengits), a sleeveless cloak historically the daily and ceremonial wear of married women, now worn only as bridal attire or during festive occasions[22]
Indonesia[28] – There are numerous national and regional clothing in Indonesia due to the diversity of cultures that make up the island nation; they include:
Austria - Each state has a specific design on national costume; the most famous is that of Tyrol, consisting of the characteristic Tyrolean tracht and dirndls.
Finland – Every region has its own specific design of national costume (kansallispuku, nationaldräkt). These vary widely. Many of them resemble Swedish costumes, but some take influences from Russian costumes as well. For the Sami in Finland, each place has its own Gákti or Luhkka for colder weather[35]
Bulgaria – Every town has its own design of a national costume (nosia), with different types of clothing items traditional for each of the ethnographic regions of the country.[41][42]
Canary Islands - Every island has its specific style of traditional dress. Néstor Martín-Fernández de la Torre designed a costume in Gran Canaria in 1934 to serve as pan-islander costume for all islands, but only caught on in Gran Canaria, being specific to its capital city Las Palmas.
France – Every administrative region has a style of folk costume, varying by department. For example, Brittany, with Breton costume varying by department and predominantly used in Cercles celtiques, pardons and festivals.
Netherlands – Many areas, villages, and towns used to have their own traditional style of clothing. In the 21st century, only a few hundred people still wear traditional dresses and suits on a daily basis. They can be found mainly in Staphorst (about 700 women), Volendam (about 50 men) and Marken (about 40 women). Most well-known parts of Dutch folk costumes outside the Netherlands are probably the Dutch woman's bonnet and klompen.
Switzerland - Every canton has a specific design of national dress. The most famous Swiss costumes come mainly from the German-speaking cantons of Appenzell, Bern and Zug.
Bahamas - None, unofficially Androsia-cloth clothing. Junkanoo costumes can be considered folk costume but fall more into the sector of carnival dress than traditional garment.
Trinidad and Tobago – Tobago has an Afro-Tobagonian Creole culture with the Bélé costumes as their typical garment, commonly made of madras. Trinidad, however, has no defined national garment; the two major ethnic groups in the island wear the following during cultural occasions:
Newfoundland - Traditional mummers dress in masks and baggy clothes in Christmas season celebrations; the Cornish influence has also brought yellow oilskins and sou'westers as typical wear in coastal areas.
Louisiana – The Cajun people of Louisiana traditionally wear the colorful capuchon for Mardi Gras celebrations. Creole women used to historically wear the tignon, mostly in plain or madras fabrics, but it is now sometimes worn for heritage events or cultural reasons.
New York – According to folklorist Washington Irving, knickerbockers similar to the breeches of the Pilgrims and Founding Fathers were traditionally worn by many wealthy Dutch families in 19th century New York. Historically, these short pants remained commonplace among young urban American boys until the mid 20th century.
Caipiras (Brazilian country folk) in Sao Paulo, Goiás and other nearby states conserve traditional folk styles of clothing, imitated by participants of festa juninas.
Guyana - Guyana is unique among South American nations to not have a designated style of national dress. Every ethnic group wears their cultural clothing during important events or occasions:
↑ Martinez, Gimeno; Leerssen, Joep (2022). "Dress, design: Introductory survey essay". Encyclopedia of Romantic Nationalism in Europe. Amsterdam: Study Platform on Interlocking Nationalisms. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
↑ "National Costumes". Lithuanian National Culture Centre. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
↑ "Bunad history". bunadogfolkedrakt.no. Norsk institutt for bunad og folkedrakt (Norwegian Institute for Bunad and Folk Costume). Retrieved November 3, 2023.
A sarong or a sarung is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven plaid or checkered patterns, or may be brightly colored by means of batik or ikat dyeing. Many modern sarongs have printed designs, often depicting animals or plants. Different types of sarongs are worn in different places in the world, notably the lungi in the Indian subcontinent and the izaar in the Arabian Peninsula.
African clothing is the traditional clothing worn by the people of Africa.
The dashiki is a colorful garment that covers the top half of the body, worn mostly in West Africa. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored suits. A common form is a loose-fitting pullover garment, with an ornate V-shaped collar, and tailored and embroidered neck and sleeve lines. It is frequently worn with a brimless kufi cap and pants. It has been popularized and claimed by communities in the African diaspora, especially African Americans.
The wrapper, lappa, or pagne is a colorful garment widely worn in West Africa by both men and women. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored ensembles. The formality of the wrapper depends on the fabric used to create or design it.
Serbian traditional clothing, also called as Serbian national costume or Serbian dress, refers to the traditional clothing worn by Serbs living in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and the extended Serbian diaspora communities in Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, United States, etc. Like any traditional dress of a nation or culture, it has been lost to the advent of urbanization, industrialization, and the growing market of international clothing trends. The wide range of regional folk costumes show influence from historical Austrian, Hungarian, German, Italian, and Ottoman Turkish presence. Nonetheless, the costumes are still a pinnacle part of Serbian folk culture. From the 19th century and onwards, Serbs have adopted western-styled clothing. This change has started in larger settlements such as cities and towns, although it was not uncommon to see rural women in traditional working costumes all the way until the end of 1970s. Today, these national costumes are only worn by some elderly in rural areas but are most often worn with connection to special events and celebrations, mostly at ethnic festivals, religious and national holidays, weddings, tourist attractions, and by dancing groups who dance the traditional Serbian kolo, or circle dance.
Baju Melayu is a traditional Malay costume for men, originated from the court of Malacca Sultanate and is traditionally worn by men in Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, parts of Indonesia, southern Philippines, and southern Thailand. In its formal form, Baju Melayu is the national dress of Malaysia and Brunei, typically worn during official events and functions.
Clothing in Afghanistan consists of the traditional style of clothing worn in Afghanistan. The various cultural exchanges in the nation's history have influenced the styles and flavors of contemporary Afghan designs. The national dress is the fusion of different ethnic groups in Afghanistan. The styles can be subdivided into the various ethnicities with unique elements for each. Traditional dresses for both men and women tend to cover the whole body, with trousers gathered at the waist, a loose shirt or dress, and some form of head covering.
This is a list of existing articles related to fashion and clothing. For individual designers, see List of fashion designers
Pakaian is the term for clothing in Malaysia's national language. It is referring to things to wear such as shirts, pants, shoes etc. Since Malaysia is a multicultural nation: Malay, Chinese, Indian and hundreds of other indigenous groups of Malay Peninsula and Borneo, each has its own traditional and religious articles of clothing all of which are gender-specific and may be adapted to local influences and conditions. Previously, traditional clothes were worn daily. However, by excluding Baju Melayu, Baju Kurung many are now only worn on special occasions such as marriage ceremonies and cultural events.
The Taqiyah, also known as tagiyah or araqchin, is a short, rounded skullcap worn by Muslim men. In the United States and the United Kingdom, it is also referred to as a "kufi", although the Kufi typically has more of an African connotation. Aside from being an adornment, the taqiyah has deeply ingrained significance in Islamic culture, reflecting the wearer's faith, devotion, and sometimes regional identity. While the taqiyah is deeply rooted in Muslim traditions, its use varies based on cultural context rather than strict religious guidelines.
A kanzu is a white or cream coloured robe worn by men in the African Great Lakes region. It is referred to as a tunic in English, and as the Thawb in Arab countries. The kanzu is an ankle or floor length garment. It serves as the national costume of Tanzania as well as the Comoros, where it is called/pronounced 'Kandu' as well as thawb. The robe is also worn in some coastal Muslim regions of Tanzania and Kenya. The men of Uganda consider it their most important dress. Kanzu is a Ganda word of Swahili origin, which means "robe" or "tunic". In Tanzania, the term is used interchangeably with kaftan.
Baju Kurung is a traditional attire of Malays and traditionally worn by women in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and southern Thailand. This type of traditional attire is the national dress of Brunei and Malaysia. In Indonesia, this dress is also worn as a regional attire, commonly observed on the island of Sumatra, particularly by the ethnic Malay and Minangkabau women.
Croatian national costume, also called as Croatian traditional clothing or Croatian dress, refers to the traditional clothing worn by Croats living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, with smaller communities in Hungary, Austria, Montenegro, and Romania. Since today Croats wear Western-style clothing on a daily basis, the national costumes are most often worn with connection to special events and celebrations, mostly at ethnic festivals, religious holidays, weddings, and by dancing groups who dance the traditional Croatian kolo, or circle dance.
Shalwar kameez is a traditional combination dress worn by women, and in some regions by men, in South Asia, and Central Asia.
The national costume of Indonesia is the national attire that represents the Republic of Indonesia. It is derived from Indonesian culture and Indonesian traditional textile traditions. Today the most widely recognized Indonesian national attires include batik and kebaya, although originally those attires mainly belong within the island of Java and Bali, most prominently within Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese culture. Since Java has been the political and population center of Indonesia, folk attire from the island has become elevated into national status.
Hanfu are the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. There are several representative styles of hanfu, such as the ruqun, the aoqun, the beizi and the shenyi, and the shanku.
Traditional Thai clothing refers to the traditional styles of dress worn by the Thai people. It can be worn by men, women, and children. Traditional clothing for Thai women usually consists of a pha nung or a chong kraben, a blouse, and a sabai. Northern and northeastern women may wear a sin instead of a pha nung and a chong kraben with either a blouse or a suea pat. Chut thai for men includes a chong kraben or pants, a Raj pattern shirt, with optional knee-length white socks and a sabai. Chut thai for northern Thai men is composed of a sado, a white Manchu-styled jacket, and sometimes a khian hua. In formal occasions, people may choose to wear a so-called formal Thai national costume.
History of clothing in the Indian subcontinent can be traced to the Indus Valley civilization or earlier. Indians have mainly worn clothing made up of locally grown cotton. India was one of the first places where cotton was cultivated and used even as early as 2500 BCE during the Harappan era. The remnants of the ancient Indian clothing can be found in the figurines discovered from the sites near the Indus Valley civilisation, the rock-cut sculptures, the cave paintings, and human art forms found in temples and monuments. These scriptures view the figures of human wearing clothes which can be wrapped around the body. Taking the instances of the sari to that of turban and the dhoti, the traditional Indian wears were mostly tied around the body in various ways.
The boubou or grand boubou is a flowing wide-sleeved robe worn across West Africa, and to a lesser extent in North Africa, related to the dashiki suit.
Clothing in Myanmar varies depending on the ethnicity, geography, climate and cultural traditions of the people of each region of Myanmar (Burma). The most widely recognized Burmese national costume is the longyi, which is worn by both males and females nationwide. Burmese clothing also features great diversity in terms of textiles, weaves, fibers, colours and materials, including velvet, silk, lace, muslin, and cotton.
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