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Bright colors and patterns are the most common characteristics of traditional Congolese clothing.These vibrant fabrics, also known as pagne, are worn by both men and women, typically paired with a matching headscarf for women.The pagne, or wrapper, can be either formal or informal, consisting of simply draped fabric or a fully tailored outfit.
Women typically fashion the fabrics into long skirts.A pagne is typically a single-sided or double-sided piece of fabric cut in half, depending on the design of the fabric.The pagne can be used as a body wrap or skirt, as a head wrap, to carry a child or goods, or to make dresses through tailoring.
The word, which originally meant only “loincloth,” has come to mean any size of cloth made for everyday wear.Pagne is also used to make colorful pants and outfits for men.
In the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, men and women typically combine elements of the western style with those of the traditional pagne to create an ensemble that combines elements of both styles.In the country, western clothing in general has gained a lot of popularity, and a variety of styles are frequently worn.
The Congo Apparel Market accounted for $XX Billion in 2021 and is anticipated to reach $XX Billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of XX% from 2022 to 2030.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, Kuba textiles are the only ones of their kind because of their elaborate designs and intricate surface decorations.
The majority of textiles are variations on square or rectangular pieces of woven palm leaf fiber, cut to form velvet-like pile surfaces and embellished with geometric designs using linear embroidery and other stitches.Raffia cloth is made into a variety of textiles by women, including headdresses, “velvet” tribute cloths, ceremonial skirts, and basketry.
Men in Kuba culture are the ones who cultivate raffia palms and weave raffia cloth.There are a number of different kinds of raffia cloth that are made for different things. The most common kind is a plain-woven cloth that is used to make decorated textiles.
Men use inclined, single-heddle looms to make the cloth, which they then use to make clothing and provide foundation cloth to female clan members.After being coarse when it is first cut from the loom, the cloth is pounded in a mortar to soften it and make it ready for surface decoration, which is done by women.
