Ugandan traditional costume
Hello.
I'm Hiromi Masaki, a member of RICCI EVERYDAY The Hill (directly managed store).
Uganda is a bag made with the charm of RICCI EVERYDAY. How much do you know about Ugandan culture? Do you know how the African print fabric, which is also used as a material for bags, is dressed by the local people?
In fact, there are various traditional costumes in Uganda depending on the area, and many people still wear them in their daily lives.
This time, we interviewed Ugandan staff Carroll of RICCI EVERYDAY online to find out more about the charm of traditional Ugandan costumes!
We will fully deliver the charm of Ugandan clothing culture, such as the scene where Ugandan women wear traditional costumes and the characteristics of each region!
- What is Ugandan traditional costume Gomez?
- How to wear traditional costumes?
- What is Emi Shanana, a costume unique to the West?
- What is Ugandan traditional costume Gomez?
In Uganda, Gomesi is a typical traditional costume of the Ganda people living in the central part. Known as a costume mainly worn by women, it features square shoulder sleeves as shown in the photo and a silhouette with a long hem dress wrapped in a large obi. It is mainly worn at weddings and ceremonies called Kwanjula, where women introduce their marriage partners to their parents. It's very gorgeous and luxurious clothes! It seems that this Gomez was also called "Busty" in the old days, and depending on the quality of the material, it was used properly as sunny clothes or everyday wear. In addition, the large obi wrapped around the waist is called "Kitambala" and is basically used only for sunny clothes such as weddings.
Another typical outfit is Chitenji. Chitenji is a dress fabric "kitenge" found throughout East Africa, and is called "chitenge" or "chitenge" in Uganda. In contrast to Gomez, which is worn at ceremonies, Chitenji is a traditional costume worn as everyday wear. The Ugandan people have Chitenji dressed as a dress for various occasions and are free to wear it.
- How to wear traditional costumes?
According to Carroll, the dressing of traditional costumes such as Gomez differs depending on the generation and the scene. In Ugandan families, there is a culture in which mothers and grandmothers generally give their favorite Gomess to their daughters and grandchildren as a sacrifice.
On the other hand, younger women are increasingly preferring to buy new ones themselves rather than wearing family gifts, and Gomez, which has a different color to suit the wedding atmosphere. It seems that the trend is to wear it more freely, such as wearing it.
Also, many women prefer traditional costumes called Mushanana because "Gomez feels a little old". Mushanana is a traditional costume with a piece of cloth wrapped around the shoulder as shown in the photo, and is widely worn in areas such as Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. This is also often seen as a wedding costume, and animal fur was used as a material in the past, but recently it is generally made of soft and luxurious materials such as silk and satin. It is a target.
So far, we have mainly introduced women's traditional costumes, but let's also look at men's traditional costumes.
A typical Ugandan men's traditional costume is Kanzu. Kanz is a traditional cotton cloth costume brought by Arab merchants since the late 19th century. Made in simple white, loose-fitting ankle-length clothing was the standard clothing for Swahili men such as Uganda and Tanzania. When it first arrived, it was used as a costume for upper class aristocrats such as King Buganda in Uganda, but it has gradually become widely worn by ordinary men.
People who are particular about fashion seem to have an antenna to find their favorite design among traditional costumes, and Ugandan staff are also looking for their favorite costumes on the street corner.
It seems that even with similar traditional costumes, the taste of color and design is completely different depending on the generation, and it seems that many young women choose the ones that are more stylish in the tradition.
In this way, it is very interesting that the taste and dress of traditional costumes change from generation to generation!
- What is Emi Shanana, a costume unique to the West?
Ugandan traditional costumes vary from region to region, and Emishanana is also famous for local traditional costumes. Emi Shanana is a traditional costume for ceremonies found in western Uganda. Generally, it refers to a woman's outfit with a veil on one shoulder. It seems that men often wear the aforementioned Kanzu as wedding costumes even in the west.
Emi Shanana is generally worn when marrying a woman who marries in the western region or a man from the western region, and it is popular because it has a gorgeous feeling in a calm atmosphere as shown in the picture. .. The silhouette is similar to the Mushanana I introduced earlier, and it has a very elegant atmosphere! As for the material, it seems that Mushanana often uses a softer material than Emi Shanana.
How was it? In a word, even if you say traditional Ugandan costumes, you can see various kinds and dresses.
Given the differences in customization between generations, Ugandan people are finding new personalities in traditional costumes, just as we find newness in traditional Japanese costumes such as yukata and kimono. It may be.
Reference:
・ "Kimono" and "living" Third World everyday wear:
Uganda Cans and Busty ”by Masao Yoshida
・ "Chapter 53 to know Uganda"
Written by Masao Yoshida and Soichiro Shiraishi
When you come to the store, please cooperate in disinfecting with alcohol gel near the door.
In addition, please make a reservation in advance when you come directly to the store.
You can make advance reservations for visits and online customer service from the links below.
Advance reservations for visits and online customer serviceFrom here
RICCI EVERYDAY The Hill
4 minutes walk from the central ticket gate of Daikanyama Station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line
ROOB2, 24-1 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo03-6455-2446
