Traditional African Clothing That Identifies African Tribes At A Glance
When you yourself have ever been to any traditional African event, one of many first things you'll notice is the elegant and bright display of traditional African clothing. This often adds color and elegance to the already often energetic scenes.
Traditional African clothing represents one of—or even the biggest—symbols of the continent's rich cultural heritage and diversity. Over the continent, different ethnic groups have their identifying traditional African clothing.
They mostly wear these clothes for special occasions, traditional festivals, and special events. However, some creative designers are actually combining traditional African clothing with other materials to make unique designs. Thus, some hitherto traditional African clothes are becoming everyday wear.
Often, these dresses reflect the standard society and the status of certain individuals or groups in a ethnic group. Aside from their elegance, owning one of these brilliant traditional African clothes can enable you to connect to your roots. All 11 traditional African clothing on our list fairly represent all parts of the continent. What's Traditional African Clothing made of?
Fabrics to make traditional African clothing vary from region to another. For instance, while Sahelian Africans prefer cotton Boubous, Northern Africans naturally make theirs of silk. African clothes are products of mostly silk, cotton, and chiffon material. Sometimes, the preferred fabric boils down to what is easily available in each region. What's the most popular African clothing?
Dashiki seems to be the most popular African clothing. Whilst it is worn mostly in West Africa, its use has spilled to other parts of the continent. East African users, particularly in Kenya and Tanzania, choose to call it Kitenge.
As you head towards the northern area of the continent, the most used traditional cloth can become Djellaba. This silk robe is usually worn over other clothes by both men and women. This mode of dressing is predominantly connected with Muslims.