Cambodia

Cambodian folk dress avaMen and women in Cambodia wear a traditional garment for the lower body called “sampot”. There are many variations of this skirt – sampot chang kben, sampot charobab, sampot lbaeuk, etc – depending on the design, wearer’s status, purpose of the attire, and so on. A sampot has been widespread in Southeast Asia since the 1st-6th century A.D. And even today, Khmer men and women continue to wear sampots for special occasions or in daily life.

Krama avaOne of the most symbolic and favorite Cambodian pieces of traditional clothes is the checkered scarf called “krama”. It is an amazing multifunctional and very handy item, so it’s no wonder krama became so popular among Cambodians. You can see it everywhere in the streets, on men, women, and children, wrapped around heads, necks, waists, used to carry goods and babies, etc. Although, a krama is not just a fashionable accessory, it’s a symbol of the Khmer kingdom and what differs the Khmer from their neighbors.

Cambodian folk dress avaCambodian folk dress and Khmer folk dress is the same because the Khmer people are the native inhabitants of the Cambodia. 97% of Cambodian population are Khmer. So, let’s find out what are the traditional garments worn by the Khmer people. Actually, their folk outfits are so interesting because it’s one of a few cultures where the male and female traditional garments look very similar. Especially, the bottom piece called “sompot”.

Cambodian textile avaCambodian traditional silk ikat weaving was on the brink of extinction when a Japanese craftsman Kikuo Morimoto found out about it and decided to master this craft. He created a community where artisans from different regions of Cambodia live, work, and teach. This is a story that shows us that the proverb “No man is an island” is wrong – one person can influence the whole country’s culture. Every single artisan matters in the context of traditional crafts.