Traditional Cloths in The World: 13 Traditional Costumes from Around the World

So what on earth, you say, am I doing writing about traditional clothing on a science blog? Apart from the fact that it’s interesting and fun to look at? Partly it’s because I have a background in the ‘softer’ sciences, such as anthropology and archaeology. They don’t have laboratory experiments, but they can still be studied in a scientific way. But also, clothes are something that even little kids are familiar with, and they can start to make links between clothes and where people live or do comparisons.
For example, if you compare

Balinese
Caribbean

Bali and the Caribbean are far apart, but they are both tropical islands and developed relatively similar clothes to help cope with the weather.
Sudanese
Sari from India

Especially if you then add in these very hot countries.
Mongolian

Historically, both India and Mongolia were part of the Silk Road, which can be seen in the materials they use. And the Mongolian clothing is extremely practical for a nomadic lifestyle, where everything needs to be carried and a blizzard may blow up out of nowhere.
Swedish
Peru

Both Sweden and Peru are significantly colder, plus the materials used in Peruvian clothing are unique – llama wool.
Greece
Ethiopia

Ethiopia is hot but cooler than other parts of Africa because of its plateau. And it has historical ties with both Africa and the Mediterranean.
Lakota

And then there are the whole range of clothes that aren’t made from woven cloth but local materials such as leather,
Inuit

fur,
Papua New Guinea

or at the other end of the climate scale, leaves, bones and feathers. (Did you know the semi-official name of one of the traditional New Guinean costumes is arse-grass?)
Torres Strait Islands

And here we have one of my favourites, the Torres Strait Islands. The reason I like these is because they are a brilliant demonstration that culture is not static, but dynamic and living. Part of their traditional costume is a grass skirt, and in the past these were your standard pale yellow. But the colours used in their flag are symbolic – blue for the sea, green for the land, white for peace and black for the people. And it just so happens that plastic shopping bags come in these colours. I’ve seen Torres Strait Islander people dancing in skirts that are made from plastic strips rather than grass, which isn’t somehow a step backwards, but shows how they can incorporate their traditions while taking advantage of the modern world.