{"id":15229,"date":"2019-07-12T14:30:44","date_gmt":"2019-07-12T13:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/?p=15229"},"modified":"2022-03-11T11:55:03","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T11:55:03","slug":"the-evolution-of-fashion-in-bhutan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/the-evolution-of-fashion-in-bhutan\/","title":{"rendered":"The evolution of fashion in Bhutan"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Bhutanese National Dress<\/h2>\n

Touching down in Bhutan<\/a>, one of the first things that travellers notice is the prevalence of the traditional national dress. On any given day the streets will be scattered with people proudly sporting the distinctive attire, which comes in a rainbow of colours and patterns.<\/p>\n

However, Bhutan is at a moment of pivotal change, with modernity creeping in, literally, at the seams. Influences from Western, Indian and Japanese fashion, in particular, are becoming ever more common, especially in bigger cities and among the young. But does that mean the national dress is destined to become a relic of Bhutanese past?\u00a0 Is fashion in Bhutan evolving?<\/p>\n

To get a sense of how the Bhutanese attitudes are changing when it comes to fashion and the national dress, we spoke to Geymit Lepcha, the entrepreneur behind Bhutanese clothing label She Bhutan<\/em><\/a>. The brand uses local Bhutanese materials and weaving, one of Bhutan\u2019s 13 national crafts, and applies these to modern styles. Geymit sees She Bhutan<\/em> as way to empower women and bridge the gap between tradition and modernity.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”15258″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Yathra in Bhutan – one of the 13 traditional arts and crafts<\/h2>\n

Based in Thimphu in the ground floor of Le Meridien<\/a> hotel, She Bhutan<\/em>\u201ccelebrates contemporary femininity while promoting the traditional Bhutanese textile.\u201d Pieces include bomber jackets and cropped coats that can be tailored to each client, which are made with \u201cYathra, a textile woven using yak wool and sheep wool\u201d. Yathra is one of the thirteen traditional crafts of Bhutan, which are considered an essential part of Bhutanese heritage. They were identified under the fourth ruler of Bhutan in the 17th century yet continue to thrive today. As Geymit puts it, \u201cIt is very important for us Bhutanese to keep our tradition and culture alive with the changing world and modernization. The textiles industry is an integral part of Bhutanese [life].\u201d On an Experience Travel Group holiday, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to explore the thirteen traditional crafts<\/a> in a way that feels immersive and insightful.<\/p>\n

For Geymit, it is \u201cvery important to use our local material because that is what differentiates us and makes our designs unique with the rest, as well [promoting] our culture and textiles. Our textiles give a fresh and modern touch to my designs.\u201d In addition, using local products \u201ckeeps the prices reasonable for locals to be able to afford our products\u201d \u2013 though she has a large number of international clients, Geymit feels it\u2019s important to \u201cencourage more of the locals to wear Bhutan made clothes and designs\u201d. For the Bhutanese, protecting their heritage and national identity is of critical importance, as feeling connected with your Bhutanese identity is considered pivotal to happiness.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”15259″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/12″][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”4\/12″][vc_single_image image=”15231″ img_size=”724 x 719″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”4\/12″][vc_single_image image=”15261″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/12″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Will the national dress of Bhutan survive?<\/h2>\n

Geymit\u2019s concept of \u201ccontemporary designs with a traditional touch\u201d is a clear evolution of the national dress, rather than a total departure from it. It was first introduced in the 17th century, and was enforced as a strict uniform in 1989. Though the laws have softened considerably since then, it is still mandatory to wear national dress in government offices, schools and monasteries, and plenty of people choose to wear it on casual occasions too. For men, this is comprised of the Gho, a wraparound robe usually worn belted and cut at the knee, while women wear a Kira, a long-sleeved colourful jacket and sari-like skirt.<\/p>\n

These days, national dress is not seen so much as a strict uniform, but a way in which people can express their individuality. There is no limit on the colours and patterns that can be used to create the garments; as Geymit puts it, \u201cwe have a very rich colours in our textiles which can help people in expressing their personal style.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geymit does feel as through \u201cattitudes towards national dress may change in the future if the younger generations are not kept updated about our tradition and culture\u201d. But said, as of now she feels that \u201cpeople truly respect our national dress\u201d. She is proud to contribute to the development of the Bhutanese fashion identity and help preserve the culture, with a modern twist. In her own words, \u201cI understand style is a statement. And wearing [Bhutanese clothing] makes people different from the rest\u201d.<\/p>\n

So fashion in Bhutan might be evolving but is still very Bhutanese…[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN DISCUSSING A BHUTAN HOLIDAY PACKAGE?<\/h2>\n

Click the link to find out more about holidays to Bhutan<\/a> or get in touch on 0207 924 7133 or fill out an enquiry form here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Discover how Bhutanese fashion has evolved in this interview with a Bhutanese designer who creates modern clothes using traditional techniques.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":15230,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1301],"tags":[1391],"coauthors":[1261],"class_list":["post-15229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bhutan","tag-arts-culture"],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":14610,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15229"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}