Sri Lanka inherits a proud history that runs back more than 2500 years and resembles a unique culture along with Sri Lanka’s Traditional Dress Codes.
Commencing the civilisation of humankind, humans tend to cover their bodies with different clothing styles. One such way of dressing traditionally molested a cultural aspect in dressing style practices by other races living in the country.
This came out as a unique way of resembling the culture of the country and it gained a global attraction because of its identity.
The traditional costumes of any country can tell people a lot about the history and lifestyles of the people in that country.
Traditional Sri Lankan attires have many other features such as appearance, decorations, colours, styles of dressings, coordinating jewellery and many other which changed over time.
Varying in different regions and different periods of time in history, the features of the usual Sri Lankan garment highlighted the fine artistic manufacturing within the country itself.
Sri Lanka attracted a global audience who is interested in traditional Sri Lankan costumes, because these costumes had some uncommon but alluring features. One such playful factor is the use of colours in dresses by the Sri Lankans.
Colour is a popular denominator and never there was an absence of the great use of colouring practices in garment manufacturing.
Gender based norms and their influence on Sri Lanka’s Traditional dress Codes
Gender-based social criticisms appeared to be one selective factor that encourages a society to choose what to wear. Marital status and ethnicity appear to be factors that make women decide on what they should wear.
Sri Lankan women also decide on style depending on their age, personal preferences and special occasions they attend. Generally, local men do not follow many stylistic dressings, but this has changed with time.
Most men from the older generation appreciate the traditional national dress or the “sarong” style as their primary way of dressing.
However the modern society and the western culture have made an influence on the new trends of international costuming over our traditional dressing culture.
This is either a new trend generated over the existing traditional costumes, or replacement of a traditional dress itself by introducing a new style.
Ethnicity monitored traditional dressing.
The costumes among the multi-racial society living in the country are very diverse. Sinhalese population being the majority inside the country has their own traditional dress items.
“Lama Sarie” for a girl and the “White National Uniform” for a boy are considered to be the national Sinhala Buddhist costumes for children.
When considered with adults, the Sinhala Buddhist men wear the same national uniform as their national dress and the ladies tend to dress up with the “Sariya” or “Osariya” at its utmost unique form.
Women in the government serving sectors still dress up in Sarees and it is considered to be the national representation of traditional costumes among the other western dresses that have been popped up in the country. Men don’t wear sarongs or any national dresses to the work unlike in the past.
A few decades ago, even men were in traditional dresses like the national uniform or such other relatable costumes and this changed due to the post-colonial mentality that people accepted over the culture and tradition.
The other national groups such as Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Malays and Europeans do have their own dressing styles and they are mostly different from one another.
Tamils share common costumes which are much similar to the Sinhalese, but there is a visible change in the way they dress up.
Although Sinhala and Tamil women tend to dress up with Sarees, they practice different styles in dressing. The colours of the costumes and the jewellery both the ethnicities use are very much different.
This adds a variation to the traditional dressings that Sinhala and Tamil people use. Apart from the Sinhala men’s sarong, Tamil men traditionally dress up in “Weittiya” and it seems to be a kind of sarong style but actually a dress with more worn styles added to a piece of sarong type cloth.
Unlike with Sinhalese and Tamils, the other races living in the country are mostly dressed up in western type clothes as their roots are mostly European.
The post-colonial identity is much visible in their costumes and the majority tends to call them as “Kalu Suddhas” which means the ‘black skinned tourists’.They get this nick name due to their westernised practices although being Sri Lankans.
Moreover, the Muslims generally wear what global Muslim people wear. Their traditional dresses aren’t unique and they tend to cover their whole body in dressing. Women use a shawl to cover their heads even. However, the sarong is a part of Muslim men’s dress.
Speciality about Sri Lankan costumes and experimented textile designs
Sri Lanka’s contemporary fashion designs are reaching new heights and the designers use the classic techniques of traditional clothing in creating their own visions in the textile industry. This island is known for its handmade woven looms and batik designs which are indeed very attractive.
A wax-resist dyeing technique dyeing plied over the whole cloth contributes to its history in the dress. Starting from the calico dresses that the indigenous inhabitant “Vedda” people dressed up, the plain-woven textile made from unbleached and not processed cotton was the initial findings of most of the Ceylon-made cotton garments and batiks manufactured in the country now.
The Sarees, Sarongs and other related costumes resemble a uniqueness in fashions. The locals and the tourists appreciate the use of colours, designs and other adaptations.
European influence displays itself in the country quite noticeably. This has created a great influence on the textile industry because the visible modernisation accepts new trends and sustainable fashion that relates to the contemporary changes.
Sri Lanka’s Traditional dress are regenerated in new forms and styles. The young generation who doesn’t appreciate the cultural textiles and ornaments now being liking the new trends associated with traditional dresses.
The reason is that the contemporary designers have immersed the new trends with the traditional textiles.
This attempt has successfully supported the culture to regenerate and not to diminish its value.
