Rwandan clothing has long said something about the wearer. Google Arts and Culture’s story on Rwandan fashion explains that dress signalled age, marital status, social class and region.
Early materials
Adults wore impuzu, a bark cloth made from pounded ficus, until the mid-twentieth century, when cotton gradually replaced it. Children wore woven plant-fibre garments called uruyonga. Ishabure, a calf-hide loincloth with elaborate stitching, was considered the most sophisticated garment of ancient Rwanda, and married women wore a long cowhide cloth, the inkanda, fastened with a beaded belt.
The intore costume
Warrior dancers known as intore wore a dance cloth called inkindi. Their costume has long drawn on symbols of status and royalty; the umugara headdress, made from banana-heart or sisal fibre, echoes the king’s crown. Loincloths once cut from wild-cat hides are now made from animal-print or traditional-pattern fabric because of wildlife laws.
The umushanana and today
The umushanana has a floor-length skirt and a sash worn over one shoulder, and women wear it for the elegant Umushayayo ballet and at occasions such as weddings. The original form is a wrap skirt with a shoulder drape, while newer versions in light or heavy silk are made as a single piece, closer to a sari. Western clothing became popular in the 1950s, and today designers combine heritage with contemporary design and local materials.
Sources: Google Arts and Culture: The Evolution of Fashion in Rwanda, Google Arts and Culture: More Than Beads and Fur, the Intore costume, The EastAfrican: Changing face of umushanana, Rhineland-Palatinate Rwanda partnership: Culture of Rwanda.
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