01.26.18

International women’s fashion shows the native culture and traditions of their home countries

Jessica Hill / For The Post

Every country, city and culture has its own style. Passed down throughout history, traditional clothing can shine light on a country’s past and how it connects people in the present. Three women studying at Ohio University described traditional fashion in their home countries and how it reflects their cultures.

Provided via Sanam Azadiamin

In northern Iran, Sanam Azadiamin often wore a traditional dress to her cousin's wedding. Traditional dresses have multiple colors and involve multiple layers.

From Tabriz, Iran, Azadiamin came to Athens last summer to get her Ph.D in industrial engineering.

Azadiamin is from northern Iran, and she said every area of Iran has different cultures and ethnicities. Kurdish people, for example, have kurdish dresses that are long, loose and elegant. She is Azeri, also known as Iranian Azerbaijanis, and they have their own traditional clothing.

One dress they wear on special occasions has many layers and long, flowy sleeves. Azadiamin said the sleeves make traditional dances look beautiful and elegant as a man and woman dance together.

“I think the dress and the food shows most of the culture,” Azadiamin said. “And the nature of the culture. It’s kind of the symbol, like the flag of the country. The kind of work that people do at the time, for example.”

Historically, Azadiamin said, in northern Iran there were many tea farmers. Women who worked in the fields needed to be comfortable and move easily. The Azeri dress reflects that with its length, loose shape and big skirt. With the dress, Iranians wear a colorful scarf and hold a basket, which was originally used to collect tea.

The most important part of the dress, Azadiamin said, is the colors. The dress should have multiple bright colors. She thinks one reason why the dresses are so colorful is because life was difficult for the farmers in northern Iran and wearing bold colors might have helped brighten their moods and lift their spirits.

Today, many Iranians wear those dresses only on formal occasions, like weddings and festivals such as Nowruz, the Iranian New Year.

Azadiamin said many Americans or Westerners have a view about Iran in which it is a conservative country without any color and where women just wear hijabs.

“It’s like that to some extent,” Azadiamin said. “Like we don’t have complete freedom to do whatever we want about clothing, but (the clothes) we have are so colorful. … We have a really good culture and we can show it in some traditional celebrations like Nowruz or Yalda.”

Provided via Omani Student Association's Facebook page

Omani women's traditional clothing often involves bright colors and multiple pieces of headwear.

Al Harthy, a junior studying applied nutrition, wears a traditional Omani dress during celebrations such as Eid Fitr and Eid Adha. The dress is short in length, about to the knees, with long sleeves. The dress is usually colorful and has silver and gold designs on the sleeves and the bottom of the dress. Women also wear matching pants to go with it.

The women wear two different head pieces: One is a scarf covering the head, and the other is a type of veil or see-through cloak.

Al Harthy, who is from Muscat, said traditional wear changes from city to city in Oman, especially women’s clothing. Southern Oman has a different style from eastern Oman, for example. In the past, women would wear those traditional dresses all the time, Al Harthy said, although the clothing was not as detailed and elaborate as it is today.

When wearing the dress today, especially during a national celebration, it shows your identity, Al Harthy said. It shows “who you are” and the history of the culture.

She thinks the traditional Omani dress also reflects the country’s values. With its length and long sleeves, it demonstrates modesty, an important characteristic to the culture.

“I think the colors also reflect on the occasion,” Al Harthy said. “Because whenever you see it during a celebration, it will be very bright and extravagant-looking with all those details. It’s also a way to celebrate.”

Meagan Hall | PHOTO EDITOR

Regina Yoong stands for a portrait outside of Baker Center on Jan. 25th, 2018.

Yoong, a first-year Ph.D. student studying literature, said Malays, Chinese and Indians are the three major ethnicities in Malaysia, each one with their own kind of fashion.

During festivals such as Hari Raya, a major Muslim holiday, Malays wear a baju kurung or baju kebaya and go to “open houses” where friends and family open the door and invite people in celebration. A baju kurung is a two-piece dress with a long-sleeve blouse that falls to the mid-thigh and has a long skirt at the bottom. They can be whatever color, but the more sparkly they are or the kind of material, like silk, might show the woman is from a higher class.

A baju kebaya is similar to the baju kurung, but it has a more fitting cut. The baju kebaya also tends to have flowers embroidered on the top, Yoong said.

Although the baju kurung is worn for special occasions, it can be worn casually everyday, Yoong said, who is from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

Yoong said that there is a “harmony” that comes from traditional clothing. When she wears the baju kurung on special occasions, she feels united with Malaysians and a remembrance that they all come from the same place.

“I think fashion just reminds you, especially traditional clothing, ... of your origins, your whole history as a culture,” Yoong said.

Development by: Taylor Johnston / Digital Production Editor