Clothes are an important part of any culture. Different cultures promote different clothing styles. By no means one style is inferior or superior to any other style. Apart from cultural clothes, the existence of contemporary or modern clothing is there. These clothes don’t generally promote any culture or ethnicity. Designers worldwide design these clothes to be, sometimes gender-specific, universal, i.e., anyone can wear them. But among all these choices and glamour, some clothing choices will continue to exist for a long time. The trend of wearing silk blouse is only increasing by the day, with no sign of slumping.

What is culturally specific clothing?

 In simple terms, these clothes are what people in a specific culture are encouraged to wear. The style can be a hundred or a thousand years old, depending upon the age of the culture. Though cultures do not force their people to wear them, they are expected to do so in traditional festivals or family gatherings. Some examples of culturally crafted clothing are Sari in India, Kimono in Japan, Kebaya in Indonesia, hanbok in South Korea, etc. However, it should be noted here that a country is generalized as a whole culture, which may not always be the case.

What is the significance of culturally specific clothing?

Culturally specific clothing is more than a sewn piece of cloth. It is the very identity of people who belong to that culture. In simpler words, clothes often represent the culture. The significance of cultural clothing is beyond logical, and it is more of a statement. Wearing different alterations of these clothes shows the importance or status of the wearer in that culture. The Kilt is a great example of this ‘statement’. It is the traditional dress worn by Gaelic men of the Scottish Highlands. Now it has a separate fanbase, and people associate kilts with Scotland; hence, it represents the culture.

Why should we wear culturally specific clothing?

There are many reasons to wear culturally specific clothing. Clothes and the way we dress contribute to our individuality. Our clothes and the way we are dressed are the first things anyone observes. No matter if you have a great personality, no one will come to you if you are not visually inviting. Clothes specific to a culture, like silk blouse, make the same first impression to a stranger. If it is good, then you can approach others and spread the teachings of your culture.

In a nutshell, clothes are more than just lumps of clothes sown together to look fancy. They represent cultures and our individuality. So next time choose your clothes wisely.