National dress of Vanuatu

In the beginning, people of Vanuatu dressed up very scantily. Women covered their lower half of the body while keeping their breasts bare. Men in Vanuatu cover the lower part of their body with pandanus.The arrival of the Presbyterian missionaries in the early 19th century in Vanuatu introduced their own sense of fashion and modesty.

The Presbyterians asked the people to dress up conservatively and insisted that women must cover up their bodies. Since then, the preferred costume for Vanuatu women has been the multi-colored floral dress, which is known as ‘Mother Hubbard’ or ‘Island Dress’.

The Island Dress provides a sense of identity, as it was the combination of national costume and every daywear. “Your color is colorful. It makes a man happy and laughs a little bit. It swings around everywhere, my island dress.” is the Island Dress song that every woman of Vanuatu know by heart.

However, since then, the national dress of the island has undergone a change with more fabric and variety of laces available to make and decorate the dress. Village women often hold impromptu fashion parades, unveiling their latest creations that seem to get more extravagant every year.

The times are changing on the streets of Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila. The traditional island dress is being challenged by more fashionable and modern Western dresses such as t-shirts, trousers and board shorts. Those living in villages often combine Western clothes with local forms of dress. Women often wear fiber skirts without a blouse or top. Men may wear a traditional loincloth or a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.

By: Shuchita Bist     

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