Africa
In Africa, there are numerous types of traditional textiles produced and used by the local tribes since the beginning of time. In this material, we’ll look at the hand-woven cloth invented by the Yoruba people – the aso oke fabric. The locals in Nigeria and some neighboring territories not only create traditional and ceremonial pieces of clothing from aso oke cloth but even make cute contemporary casual wear from this authentically African fabric.
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- Category: Nigeria
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The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a not very large, though rather populous country of West Africa. About 150 million of people live in Nigeria. So, the clothing traditions of its population are various. Some of the traditional dresses in Nigeria root back to ancients tribes who lived here centuries ago, others were formed by the influence of British, Portuguese and French colonizers (19-20th centuries). Today many people in Nigeria use modern clothes, western style of attire. But still there are a lot of Nigerians who prefer to wear the traditional dress of Nigeria in everyday life.
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In Rwanda, people are trying to restore the tradition of wearing the national garment of the country – an elegant female mushanana. This attire is a little bit similar to a very simply draped Indian sari. But it is historically used in Africa and is a large part of Rwandan culture. Today, the mushanana is gaining more and more popularity among young women of Rwanda. We’ll introduce this garment to you and share some secrets of wearing the mushanana correctly.
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In many African countries, the traditional costume requires meters and meters of colorful fabric decorated with African ethnic motifs, intricate head ties, and multicolored beaded jewelry. Some tribal outfits still consist only of small loin-cloths and plenty of beaded adornments, which have been traditional for many centuries in a row, but at the same time, we mostly see large loose robes, modest dresses, and male tunics + trousers as African national clothing these days. And in this post, we’ll have a closer look at Senegalese traditional attire.
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- Category: Senegal
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People of Somalia use their national costumes rather often. Unlike Europeans who take the traditional clothing out of the closet only for festivals and special occasions, Somalis use such garments in day-to-day life. Only in big cities people wear Western dress every day, but use traditional costumes for events and special occasions. As the climate in Somalia is hot, people cover most of the body from scorching sun and use natural materials to make clothing. They also wear loose garments (even men prefer skirt-like clothing) to prevent overheating.
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The national costume of the Venda ethnic group from South Africa looks typically African. Animal skin loin cloths and aprons, colorful blankets worn around the shoulders, glass-beaded jewelry, and so on. This folk attire is very pretty, very authentic, and very cheerful. In modern days, Venda men and women often combine contemporary garments with traditional ‘wenda cloth to create a unique local look you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
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- Category: South Africa
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South Africa is a multicultural country with a long and complicated history. Its clothing traditions are very interesting because they are so diverse. We can’t name just one official national costume of South Africa. Every ethnic group in this part of the world has its own folk dress, heritage clothing, traditional accessories, etc. So, let’s look at the traditional outfits of the biggest local ethnic groups – Xhosa, Ndebele, Zulu, and Venda.
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- Category: South Africa
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Sudan is a country with typically African climate, very hot and sunny. Of course, the clothes have to be special for people to cope with such severe weather conditions. And that’s where jalabiya comes in – this robe is extremely handy. It’s light, natural, modest, and perfect for Sudan. So, let’s find out more about jalabiya: design, cut, color palette, material, etc.
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Sudan is a large African country with strong Islamic and Christian traditions. Religions and beliefs of local people have a great influence on the national clothing of Sudan. As climate conditions do. Those are the reasons for Sudanese people to wear loose-fitting long attires which cover most of the body. These dresses and robes are made of light natural fabrics. Sudanese people also cover their heads: women with scarves and men with turbans. Headgears serve both for religious purposes and for protection from the sun. Western-style dresses are also used in Sudan, but they're rarer than traditional ones.
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A lot of people think that African traditional clothing is the same for any ethnic group on the continent. But that’s wrong. Actually, there are many garments specific for a certain ethnos. And today, we’d like to show you the women’s folk garment used by the females of Swaziland. It’s rather simple but tidy and meaningful. And, by the way, pretty modest, as there is an opinion that African people wear only loincloths and roam around with bare torsos. Let’s bust a few myths about African traditional outfits.
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- Category: Swaziland
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Tanzanian clothing traditions speak of modesty, brightness, and ancient customs. For a European, the first impression from a folk dress of Tanzania sometimes is like “too much”. Too many layers of cloth wrapped helter-skelter around the body, too many colors and patterns, too many weird jewels, etc. But if you take a closer look, you’ll notice the harmony and unicity of a Tanzanian folk costume. The locals feel absolutely comfortable wrapped in their colorful fabrics and beaded adornments.
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Traditional underwear around the world differs a lot from our modern lingerie. Forget about revealing lacy bras and thongs, sexy garter belts, and the like. The traditional undergarments mean that this style has been in use for at least a century or two and is a lot more modest and conservative. But what else in these underwear pieces is different? Let’s take Tunisian vintage underpinnings and compare them to the lingerie sets we’re familiar with. How do you think, how many differences will we find?
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- Category: Tunisia
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This opulent robe adorned with traditional embroidery looks regal and respectful. It adds a man the atmosphere of dignity and wealth. This folk garment is one of the oldest Tunisian pieces of clothes, and its cut, decorations, and appearance can tell a lot about the wearer, as they depend on the region of origin of a person. Artisans from different areas of Tunisia know their unique secrets of making jebbas that are passed from one generation of craftsmen and craftswomen to the next. Tunisian men’s jebbas are so beautiful and comfy outfits that the local men wear them even today.
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- Category: Tunisia
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One of the most intriguing and meaningful Tunisian traditional jewelry pieces is the so-called “kholkhal”. In this material, we’ll try to tell you more about it. What’s the purpose of this item? How does it look? How much does it weigh? Does it have a particular shape and embellishments? We’ve gathered and arranged all the info about the kholkhal we could find and we’re glad to share it with you. Promise to surprise you!
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- Category: Tunisia
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Women in Tunisia traditionally cover their heads – with scarves, shawls, veils, hats, and other headwear pieces. Even today, in the modern world, there is a great variety of female headdresses used for ceremonial occasions and in day-to-day life. These people wear their kerchiefs and scarves not only because of their religious laws but also because of the climate in this North African country. We’ve gathered a number of photos depicting Tunisian women’s headgear to show you the ceremonial, festive, and everyday headdresses in use.
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- Category: Tunisia
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A lot of Tunisian traditional garments are ornate and expensive. And the jewelry pieces are exquisite. You might even say that it is expected of a Tunisian bride to be literally covered in gold. So, the folk dress of this country is a sight to behold. But let’s look at just one garment in particular – a pretty farmla. This part of a Tunisian national costume is one of the most noticeable, especially the women’s farmla.
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- Category: Tunisia
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Folk motifs in clothes is a fashionable trend in modern Tunisia. Both men and women wear outfits decorated with the traditional embroidery. But female dresses complemented with Tunisian traditional jewels are an extraordinary sight to behold. On the photos below, you can see modern and vintage Tunisian costumes, compare them, and admire the skills of local craftswomen.
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Tunisian traditional jewelry pieces are ornate, rather massive, and very beautiful. They are used not just to adorn the costume of a female but as a means of energetic protection, a way of honoring the ancient tradition, and for economic purposes as well. The jewelry collection of a Tunisian woman equals her private bank account. She’s able to manage it as she likes – buy, sell, barter, present or receive as a gift, etc. Vintage jewels are often transmitted within generations of the family. Modern Tunisian women still prefer the traditional jewelry items to ordinary ones used around the world.
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Tunisians value their clothing traditions very much. They still use folk costumes in everyday life. And – what’s more important – they often add some ethnic flavor to modern garments. It helps Tunisians to keep and develop the tradition, to remember their past and look forward to the future. The traditions of the country are so important because that’s what makes the nation unique. Tunisian modern attires on the photos below have such ethnic features as the traditional embroidery patterns, folk headdresses, jewelry typical for this culture, authentic shapes of garments, etc.
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- Category: Tunisia
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Tunisian vintage clothing is precious, not only because of all those gold (embroidery with golden threads, gold embellishments, etc.) but because of its historical value as well. In museums and private collections, we can find unique and unimaginable samples of the traditional outfit of Tunisia. They show us the wealth of Tunisian people and the skillfulness of local craftsmen. Here you are several pieces of vintage women's costumes. Some of them are familiar to our readers, and others may be a surprise.
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- Category: Tunisia
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Tunisians are among the best in the world in creating distinctive signs of their origin. It's not only the design of a veil or dress for women and jebba for men – it's the whole image: clothing, make-up, hair-do, shoes, headdress, jewelry, and accessories. To emphasize their identity, Tunisian people need such clothing crafts as weaving and embroidering. Local craftsmen have achieved excellence in making the most exquisite and high-quality clothing. That's why Tunisians still use the traditional costumes in day-to-day life.
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- Category: Tunisia
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People in different regions of Tunisia often wear radically different outfits. Especially if to talk about women. Traditional clothing typical for some Tunisian cities include long multilayered dresses with intricate headgears, in other cases baggy trousers, short tops and jackets are used, and sometimes traditional Tunisian garments are pretty similar to those worn in European countries today. Here are some photos that illustrate the diversity of vintage outfits used in different regions of Tunisia.
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The national costume and traditional crafts are not forgotten in Tunisia even in 21 century. A lot of people still use traditional garments or separate pieces of a folk outfit in day-to-day life. Probably, the main reason for a great popularity of traditional clothing in Tunisia is that such garments were designed considering the weather conditions of this country. They fit perfectly and help locals to cope with the hot sun, sands of the desert and winds (hot and dry from Sahara desert and cool from the Mediterranean Sea). Nevertheless, Tunisians love their traditional costumes and are proud of their national heritage. They usually wear traditional clothing for ceremonies, weddings, religious events and national holidays.
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This folk dress is rather modern compared to other traditional outfits around the world. It appeared in the early 20th century. And the history of its invention is unusual and curious. This women’s attire invented by an outlander has found its place in the traditional clothing culture of Uganda. A gomesi or busuuti gown is bright, floor-length, and made from a large amount of fabric. Of course, such clothes mostly weren’t available to African females before the 1900s. Though, Ugandan women fell in love with these long and colorful dresses so much that they became Ugandan national costumes.
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- Category: Uganda
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Using the Ugandan traditional barkcloth is a new and curious fashion trend in Europe. This fabric is unique, extravagant, and luxurious. Some fashion designers think that barkcloth can one day replace or at least be the alternative for leather. The outfits made from barkcloth are estimated by fashionistas because no single piece of tree-bark cloth is exactly alike, so your coat, bag, or jacket will definitely be one-of-a-kind.
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- Category: Uganda
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In Uganda, there is a very interesting and old craft – making fabric called “barkcloth”. It is literally made from a tree bark. Such eco-friendly cloth could be of a great use for our resource-consuming world and, as Ugandan people think, the answer to a global climate change. And indeed, local African designers are trying to popularize barkcloth in the modern fashion industry. We’re ready to teach you how to make the traditional Ugandan barkcloth, though you’ll need a specific tree for that.
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- Category: Uganda
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