Tanzania Fashion Ideas

Tanzania is an east African country with a rich culture. The design of Tanzania fashion evokes the rich tapestry of the ancient ethos and culture of the Tanzanian region. Contemporary Tanzania clothing is a judicious mixture of the old and the new. Present day Tanzanians are heavily influenced by current western fashion trends.

The fashion in Tanzania is thus a reflection of fashion trends dictated by a European or North American fashion designer located thousands of miles away. However, traditional clothing of Tanzania has not died out. The traditional piece of cloth is locally known as 'khanga'. The khanga is unique to the east African nation of Tanzania. The cloth is rectangular in shape. Khanga is made from pure cotton.

The Tanzanian fashion is characterized by a border all around the periphery of the cloth. The khanga is brightly colored and printed in bold designs. They are worn in such a way that the wearer of the garment exhibits an attractive appearance. The Tanzanian women use khangas to cover other clothes and to carry the children on their backs. The traditional cloth is also used as a decorative wall hanging and as tablecloths. The khanga contains educational and informational messages.

Here you will find all types of Clothing, both new ones and used. There are other important factors that are influencing the growth of the fashion industry in Tanzania that usually go unmentioned if not recognized. One of these factors is the growth of the photography industry in Tanzania and culture of Tanzania. A decade ago photography in Tanzania was mostly limited to events such as weddings and conferences. These days we see a rise in the creative side of photography.

People are coming up with creative concepts and themes for photography and using it as a form of expression and not just a form of documenting events. Tanzanian women's clothing makes for a great union with these new forms of expression. It is not just about looking good but looking different. Another related factor is the nature of events that are taking place in Tanzania - especially in the economic hub cities such as Dar-es-Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza and the tourist destination of Zanzibar.

Events such as Groove Theory, Hollywood Fresh, The Nyama Choma Festival, Kilimanjaro Music Awards, Serengeti Fiesta, Zanzibar International Film Festival and Swahili Fashion Week are highly publicized events on Tanzanian’s social calendar and people tend to want to look good at these events which is an added bonus for fashion designers and vendors of fabrics and accessories.

The fashion tanzania industry has been highly influenced by the West; however the trend is changing and fashion has now become a platform for expressing one’s individuality through clothing rather than following blindly on the latest trends off the ramp.

Over the last decade, Tanzania’s fashion industry has made some commendable leaps and bounds. Events such as the Swahili Fashion Week, maasai culture, Maridadi Fashion Show and Zanzibar Fashion Week, to name a few, have not just helped showcase Tanzania’s upcoming talent, but have become a platform to promote the designers’ creativity as well as give them the opportunity to network with local and international clientele.

Tanzanians who were once dependant on foreign culture and trends are now looking closer to home. Our designers are now making an impression in the okdresses fashion world by representing the country at international fashion shows.