Ethiopia Fashion Week 2k16

 Each year there is a Fashion week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital. This fashion show features some of the world's top designers. The Ethiopian culture is met with new styles and forms of clothing. These clothes are not modest even though they follow the traditional clothing. The tradition is shown through color and long cloth that is added to shorter dresses. The men are also very exposing. The chest is exposed and they wear thinner clothing.

In this fashion show, men and women are allowed to be expressive with their interpretation of art. Traditionally,  Ethiopia is a modest and religious country. This is an approach that could be considered western. This changes the view the world has of Ethiopians. Traditionalists might have a negative view, while modernist might see the fashion as new and expressive. In my opinion, the new form of fashion is very vibrant and creative. What are your thoughts?

View some of the fits here!

https://www.hubfashionweekafrica.com/home-2

Amhara Tribe

This tribe wears different clothing than the Oromos. They live at cold, high altitudes. Their clothes are designed to conserve body heat. The Amhara of the city today commonly wear Western-type clothing made in China, Singapore, and the Philippines. But many still prefer the native dress, which consists of jodhpur trousers and a long shirt, covered by a gabi. This is worn by both men and women, but the style of these clothes varies according to the gender of the person. In the countryside, the Amhara do not wear shoes, but in the towns and the city shoes are generally worn to protect the feet against the debris of the streets.

There is no real divide between men and women in the highland. Men however need to cover up more as the work as Shepherds. The general idea in this area is to keep warm. There is bigger location (city vs highlands) difference than gender difference.

The Oromos

Some Oromo men wear woya (toga-like robes), and some women wear wandabiti (skirts). Others wear leather garments or animal skin robes, and some women wear qollo and sadetta (women's cloth made of cotton). Modern garments from around the world are also worn. In cash-producing areas and cities, Oromos wear modern Western-style clothes. Oromos have clothes designated for special days. They call the clothes that they wear on holidays or other important days kitii and the clothes that they wear on working days lago.

Women of this society are still seen as inferior. They are to act in the shadows of men as if they wore hijabs or burqas. The freedom to wear skirts and dresses are seen as normal. Some women are christian meaning they share different views of the body compared to Muslim women of the same tribe. It is mostly these women who wear modern garments. Women are generally very flashy and wear mean accessories while men wear very few colors day-to-day. 
Hmmm.... I wouldn't mind wearing these clothes myself. 




Oromo women dressed in traditional clothing

General Cloths: Netela and Gabi

Ethiopian women traditionally dress modestly. Clothing is usually made from different cloths that come with various patterns. First there is the netela. The netela is a thin, delicate cloth with a gauze-like texture. The netela has only two layers, measuring about 63 x 102 inches. It is white with a colorful border (tibeb) between 1 to 2 inches at each end with two variations, one has only one color and the second can have many colors and patterns. The netela can be worn in different ways. It generally covers the back and shoulders and the border is folded up over the right shoulder, but for church activities the two layers of the netela are opened and the border goes over both shoulders. When the border is worn around the face or shoulders, it’s a sign of mourning, but for recreation or resting the border goes over the left shoulder. There is another fabric, the fota, that is much more colorful  with a dimension of 58 x 105 inches. It usually has a checkerboard design and it is a medium-weight textile that is worn simply wrapped around the shoulders or over the head as a shawl. There is a third kind of textile called doncho which is a very long cotton sash with a border in color and is only worn by married women, there are types that can measure up to 26 feet long. These fabric are woven by hand by a group of of people in the Gamo highland of Ethiopia, the Doko people.

Men on the other hand wear something similar to the netela. The Gabi is four layer and thicker than the netela. This is not what I expected. In this region, women is usually covered up more than men due to religious beliefs and common tradition. Women are not excessively exposed! They just wear lighter cloths and are not required to cover their bodies completely.