Clothing in Ethiopia encompasses traditional garments alongside modern fashion styles, accessories, and cosmetics. Ethiopia boasts a rich history of textile production, largely due to its cotton cultivation. As Africa’s second most-populous nation and ranking tenth in cotton production, Ethiopia has a strong foundation for textile creation.
Ethiopian traditional clothes
In certain regions, women are the primary pickers and spinners of cotton, whereas men do most of the weaving. The women card by hand and spin into yarn using a freestanding spindle known as an inzirt. The men use handlooms that are traditionally about 30 to 35 inches wide which means strips need to be sewn together. Weavers today use larger looms with larger width. It is estimated that there are 200,000 handloom weavers in Ethiopia today.
Textile outputs include handcrafted translucent shemma cloth made of Amhara embroideries. Historian Richard Pankhurst writes that the first weavers were Muslims and Jews who traveled in nomadic bands and set up looms on verandas of noblemen.
Key Traditional Garments
Habesha Kemis
The Habesha kemis is a dress worn by Ethiopian and Eritrean women. The dress is called a Habesha Kemis and is worn by Ethiopian and Eritrean women. They believe it is the connection of women to their forebearers’ strengths, effortless beauty and femininity. Habesha kemis (Amharic: ቀሚስ lit. The ankle length dress is usually worn by Ethiopian and Eritrean women at formal events, holidays and invitations, and comes in many regional varieties.
Read also: Meaning of Traditional Ethiopian Attire
Example of a Habesha Kemis
It is usually designed in white color outfit and widely used by the general population, becoming the most accepted dress in Ethiopian culture. The Habesha kemis influenced the design of the 20th century dashiki. The hem of the dress is quite ornated by the tilet. “It takes about three weeks for them to make the dress.
Notwithstanding its wider acceptance, there are also different variations in its pattern. Dresses worn by Ethiopian women impressed me with their beauty from the moment I saw them on my arrival as a Peace Corps volunteer in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia in the early 1960s.
Bernos
Bernos (also transliterated Barnos, Burnos) is a wool cloak-like garment and hood woven in one piece, worn by Ethiopian and Eritrean highlanders.
Rousanne Marie Bernos - SAN JUAN CITY
Ethiopian man wearing a Bernos
Read also: Traditional Ethiopian Attire
Today, average citizens sometimes wear it in traditional ceremonies and at special occasions. Bernos is adapted and worn by Ethiopian and Eritrean highlanders.
Gabi
The gabi (Amharic: ጋቢ) is a thicker garment, with four layers of fabric. Gabi (Ge’ez: ጋቢ) is a handmade cloth worn by Eritreans and Ethiopians. Both men and women can wear it. It is worn over the shoulders and upper body and is made out of cotton.
Ethiopian/Eritrean Suit
An Ethiopian suit or Eritrean suit is the western name given to the traditional formal wear of the men of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It consists of a long sleeved, knee-length shirt and matching pants. Most shirts are made with a Mandarin, band, or Nehru collar. The suit is made of chiffon, which is a sheer silk or rayon cloth. For informal events, men wear the Ethiopian dashiki. The main difference between the dashiki and Ethiopian and Eritrean suits is the collar. The dashiki does not have a collar.
Netela
Netela is handmade scarf-like two-layered cloth made of cotton worn by Ethiopian and Eritrean, exclusively intended for women.
Rousanne Marie Bernos - SAN JUAN CITY
Ethiopian woman wearing a Netela
Read also: Traditions of Ethiopian Orthodox Attire
It is very thin and delicate, with the texture of gauze. It is very well known and commonly worn by the women and men of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The netela can be worn in different ways. For general wear, the netela covers the back and shoulders and the border is folded up over the right shoulder. However, when attending church the two layers of the netela are opened and the border goes over both shoulders.
Other Textiles
There are other textiles similar to the netela. There is the foṭa (ፎጣ), a colorful shawl-like garment measuring 58 x 105 inches. Fotas usually have checkerboard designs and are simply wrapped around the shoulders or over the head as a shawl. There is a third kind of textile called donċho (ዶነጮ), which is a very long cotton sash with a border in color; it is only worn by married women.
Zuria
A zuria is a dress worn by the Tigrinya women in Eritrea and Ethiopia. Traditional zurias go to the ankles, sometimes with a gauze hood around the head and shoulders. Zurias come in different forms and designs with an extra sheen due to the demands of fashion.
Garment Construction and Decoration
The garments consist of two basic parts: the ankle-length white dress (usually made of white cotton that is finely woven) and the soft cotton shawl, known as a shamma nitala. This fabric is made in long strips of cloth that are stitched together which may take 2-3 weeks. A thicker shawl, used for warmth in the chilly highlands, is called a gabbi. A kula is a thinner shawl used in warmer climates.
Women and men both wear shammas, but they drape them differently depending on the social or religious occasion. The weight of the shawl, number of layers and thickness represents the status of the person in society. The way it is worn even indicates the mood, intention and attitude of the wearer. These traditional garments become distinctive through the use of embroidered borders, between one or two inches wide, of colored silk designs called tibebe. The borders come in two variations: one of a single color (often gold) and the other of multiple colors and patterns.
Dresses may also be decorated with embroidery, usually with crosses that reflect the deep Christian faith of most highland Ethiopians. Crosses are symbols of protection and believed to ward off evil and misfortune.
Modern Challenges
In 2023, Ethiopia's cosmetic and personal care industry was challenged by ongoing unrest and conflict. In October 2022, the Ministry of Finance issued letter to the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) to ban 38 unwarranted imports of perfumes and cosmetics for indefinite period.
