Traditional African Clothing That Identifies African Tribes At A Glance
If you have ever gone to any traditional African event, among the first things you will 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 events, traditional festivals, and special events. However, some creative designers are now combining traditional African clothing with other materials to produce 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. Apart from their elegance, owning one of these simple traditional African clothes can allow you to connect with your roots. All 11 traditional African clothing on our list fairly represent all regions of the continent. What's Traditional African Clothing made of?
Fabrics to make traditional African clothing vary from one region to another. For example, 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 as to the is readily available in each region. What's the most used African clothing?
Dashiki seems to be typically the most popular African clothing. While 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, would rather call it Kitenge.
As you head towards the northern the main continent, the most popular traditional cloth can become Djellaba. This silk robe is normally worn over other clothes by both men and women. This mode of dressing is predominantly connected with Muslims.