From imposing tribal
head-feathers with bark body-covers to gold-woven antique royal
songket fabric, the array of traditional costumes and textiles in
Malaysia is bold and colourful.
Early Malaysian aboriginal tribes wore native bark costumes and
beads. During the era of the ancient kingdoms, Malay royalty used
fine, hand-loomed textiles and intricate batik to display their
prestige. As foreign trade flourished, costumes and textiles such
as Chinese silk, the Indian pulicat or plaid sarong and the Arabian
jubbah, a robe with wide sleeves, were also introduced.
Traditional attire such as the Malay baju kebaya, Indian saree
and Chinese cheongsam are all still widely worn.