A LIST OF TRADITIONAL MALAYSIAN CLOTHING

In this article we will talk about traditional clothing of Malaysia. Since the theme of this website is muslimah clothing, we will focus specifically on traditional Muslim clothing of Malaysia.

Malaysia is a melting pot of diverse cultures and ethnicity. Malaysia is a country located in South East Asia, near the equator and shares borders with Brunei, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. The population as of 2016 is estimated at 29 million inhabitant. There are three main races that make up the demographic of Malaysia. These races are namely the Malays, the Indians, and the Chinese. Other notable races include the Peranakan, the Kadazan, the Dusun, the Orang Asli, and more.

The Malays make up the majority of the population currently estimated at approximately 55 percent of the total population. The Malays are mostly Muslims and adheres to the Islamic beliefs which was was introduced by traders and merchants from the Arabic peninsula.

The clothing that Muslims wear are modest in nature and are influenced by the Arabic and Islamic culture. According to Islam, the followers of the religion should be covering certain areas of their body, better known as their aurat.

Here are a few examples of traditional Malaysian clothes that are influenced by the Islamic way of life. First up on the list is the Baju Kurung. It is the most popular piece of clothing and can be seen worn throughout the country. It is a staple of Malaysian muslims' wardrobe and is worn on a daily basis and even at formal occasions such as weddings, official functions, at offices, and etc. There are many types of baju kuurung such as baju kurung modern, baju kurung lace, baju kurung peplum and many more. If you would like to learn more about the baju kurung, click here.

Next up on the list is the Kebaya. Kebaya or better known as baju kebaya is a traditional dress that originates from the Indonesian island of Java. The kebaya is the national dress for Indonesian women. It originated from the Majapahit kingdom and was once exclusively worn by the royal court and the royal family. It was brought over and introduced to Malaysia by traders sometime in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Now a days there are many modern interpretation of the kebaya available in Malaysia based on the original Indonesian design. If you would like to learn more about the baju kebaya, click here.

Going forward with this article and list of traditional clothes of Malaysia is the Jubah. Based on what we can find online, the Jubah is closely related to the Middle Eastern/Arabic Abaya. We believe and think that the Jubah is modeled after the Abaya. Once again, in Islam, women are meant to cover themselves and dress in a modest manner and the Abaya/Jubah fits the criteria. To learn more about the Abaya and Jubah, click here.

For head gear and accessories, there are the tudung and hijab. They are meant to cover the head and hair. There are many types of tudung and hijab such as tudung bawal, tudung shawl, selendang, etc. Now a days, there are many Malaysian celebrity brands and celebrity endorsed tudung and hijab brands. To learn more about hijab and tudung, click here.

For men, there are baju melayu, seluar melayu, samping, songkok, and also male version of the jubah. We will continue writing about them in the future, perhaps in another article.

As Malaysia is an ethnically diverse country, there are also many traditional clothing available for other races. For example, there's the Cheongsam worn by the Chinese in Malaysia.

Another example is the Saree worn by Indians in Malaysia. It originates from India and was brought to this country by Indian immigrants and have continued to wear them up to this day.

We the editors of this website are passionate about clothing and fashion. We will continue to update this page in the future with an extensive list of different type of clothing worn by different ethnicity.

We hope that you've enjoyed reading this article and learned a thing or two about various different Malaysian cultures. Until next time, have a good day!