Khmer traditional clothing refers to the traditional styles of dress worn by the Khmer people throughout history. Tracing their origins back to the early Common Era, the customary styles of dress worn by Khmer people predate the indianization of Southeast Asia. The evolution of these clothing customs can be traced through archaeological artifacts from the 6th century to the post-Angkorian period, evolving from the simple pre-Angkorian sampot to vibrant and intricately embroidered silk garments.
Bottoms
Historically the dates back to the Funan era, in which a king, in response to Chinese envoys, ordered his subjects to cover themselves.
Sampot tep apsara
Sampot tep apsara () is a type of sampot from the Khmer Empire era associated with courtly apsaras. Its depiction can still be seen on the bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat. Generally, the sampot tep apsara is both knotted at the waist and secured with a belt. Long pleats are gathered at the front, running the full length to the wearer's ankles. The sampot tep apsara is actually knotted twice at the waist, one on the left and one on the right; the left knot is longer, while the right knot is more decorative. Today, the sampot tep apsara is worn by traditional dancers in modern Cambodia.
Sampot bot Sampot bot, which translates more or less to "folded skirt," refers to a sampot samloy secured via a long, flat fold along the side. This method is said to have emerged from western influence.
Sampot samloy Sampot chong samloy () is a draped sampot tied in a free-hanging, "wraparound skirt" or "tube skirt" style, as opposed to pants-like chong kben. Sampot samloy is depicted in Khmer sculpture going all the way back to Funan, and often feature pleats and folds.
Sompot chong kben
Sompot chong kben () is a unisex garment worn by wrapping it around the waist, stretching it away from the body and twisting the knot. The knot is then pulled between the legs and held by a belt. In Khmer, “chong” means the area of cloth that’s twisted into a bunch, and “kben” is the bunch’s role in concealing “private parts.” Scholars conclude it can be contended that the Khmer chong kben corresponds to the dhoti worn in the Indian subcontinent. The has also been adopted in Thailand and Laos, where it is known as a chong kraben.
Sampot sup () refers to a samloy-style sampot fabricated with darts and a waistband.
Sampot anlonh (textile) () refers to woven silk skirt cloth with a chequerboard design formed from two-colored weft and warp stripes over an undecorated groundweave, creating stripes along its entirety. It is commonly worn by women in the countryside.
Sampot charobab (textile)
(), also spelled and known as just sampot robab, is a long, brocaded silk with metallic silver and gold thread featuring pattern and motifs, such as jasmine floral, in different colors than the actual fabric. The term comes from the Persian phrase "zara baftp" which describes "cloth woven with gold thread." It is worn by ballerinas in Khmer classical dance, by royalty, and also for weddings or other formal events. Charobab can be worn as samloy robab and in chong kben style. The samloy robab form is often draped as ka'at kbal neak, or "folded like a naga head".
Sampot rbauk (textile) () is a long, silk damask-patterned sampot. Patterns are done in silk or silk-esque thread and described in animal and plant terms, and often worn for formal events.
Sampot soeng (textile) () is a monochromatic skirt with a patterned design along the lower hem. Originally a more popular tradition in Laos, sampot soeng became popular in the 1980s when Cambodians, having emerged from war, purchased the affordable soeng from Laos. Eventually, Cambodians began weaving their own for personal use and to sell.
Tops
Av chang pong
Av chang pong () refers to a fabric that passes over the underarms and “is tied in front and at the chest.” The centuries-old garment is still worn today, particularly in the countryside.
Av tronum
is a thick and strong chest cover that hugs the body closely. The style is similar to the av chang pong but doesn't leave as much skin uncovered. The av tronum was popular among wealthy young women in the Chatomok era; today it is an important costume in Khmer classical dance.
Av bampong
Av bampong () is a long-sleeved, flared hem tube shirt with a likeness to the Malay baju kurung, and noted by travelers during the close of the 19th century as the attire of Muslims in Cambodia. Chams wear av bampong for festivals and the Royal Plowing Ceremony, and the garment is seen in historical and religious pagoda paintings.Yosothor Khmer renaissance. (n.d.). ៧. អាវបំពង់វែង [7. Av Bom Bung Veng]. Yosothor. https://www.yosothor.org/publications/khmer-renaissance/chapter-two/av-bom-bung-veng.html
Av pay
Av pay () is an open-front, loose, translucent, formal jacket enriched with gold for men worn over a shirt or jacket by grooms and for other ceremonies. A man atop an elephant-carried chariot in a Bayon carving wears a robe resembling the av pay.
Av ko trung Av ko trung () is a men's jacket similar to a paletot with front panels bearing pockets and buttons, and a standing, narrow collar. Often worn under the av pay.
Av nay Av nay () is a tight, short-sleeved, button up shirt worn by women and girl dancers for practice and rehearsal.
Av phnat kbach
Av phnat kbach () is a women's formal shirt adorned with a row of pleats that's often decorated. It is often paired with a collar and sleeve hems in the same style.
Av pak
Av pak () refers to a (usually) women's shirt featuring lace and/or embroidery. The collar, sleeves, and necklines come in various fashions. Normally form-fitted, an av pak is worn for festivals and formal occasions. Some might choose white to visit pagodas but purple, red, or other bright colors for festivals. Av pak is often paired with sampot hol or phamuong.
Av dai paong Av dai paong () is a blouse from the Longvek era that only wealthy women could afford then. Dai paong means puffed short sleeves. This top usually has a front column of buttons.
Sbai
In Khmer, the sbai (ស្បៃ) refers to an asymmetrical breast-sash, usually embroidered and of silk, worn for ballet performances and ceremonies. Chinese chronicles relay from the founding legend of Neang Neak and Preah Thong that the latter wasn't happy with Neang Neak's nude state and so he "folded a piece of material to make a garment through which he had her pass her head." That describes how already-sewn sbai is worn even today when the garment isn't sewn onto the wearer. The sbai is used in traditional Khmer weddings during the rite of ("Preah Thong holding on to the sbai of Neang Neak") to symbolize the founding legend of the Khmer people. The groom holds on to the bride's sbai from behind for a ritualistic walk representing "their entering into her naga realm."
In bas-reliefs at Angkor Wat, devatas often have twin pieces of fabric tucked inside their sampot and cascading down its length. Khmer ballet guru and scholar Prumsodun Ok describes one group of three "with one in the act of wrapping the cloth from the back," the second one covering her right breast, and the third with the sbai "dangling in the front from her bent elbow, suggesting that it can be wrapped from the front like a sbai as well." A 16th century Angkor Wat bas-relief depicts women attendants wearing long sbai. The popular sbai pattern in modern Cambodia "feature a diamond‑floral pattern known as chakkachan" which also appears on the sbai of female ballet roles and on upper garments of demons and male roles. Angkor Wat bears carvings of the textile pattern, as does Sambor Prei Kuk, proving that the pattern was known to Khmers "by the seventh century." The Buddha in many Khmer depictions dons a sbai thom (great/big sbai) or sbai phluoh (twin sbai). Sbai tol is the common style for women in modern Cambodia. One end of the garment wraps around the chest as the other end is left flowing down the back; the right shoulder remains uncovered.
In a village called Sampan Leu in the Sa’ang District of Kandal province, sbai embroidery is a tradition passed down for generations for some 40 families. The designs themselves are decided by customers and the "predefined patterns" are passed on to the embroiderers. Pieces are often rented by those visiting Angkor Wat, for festivals, and also weddings, and material is not limited to silk. The in-demand sbais are crafted with authentic, traditional Khmer patterns by the artisans with the goal of preserving Khmer culture.
Krama
Cambodians traditionally wear a checkered scarf called a krama (). The krama has been a feature of Khmer dress since the first-century reign of Preah Bath Hun Tean, although it is unclear exactly when the krama became fashionable in the street. The krama is one trait that distinguishes the Khmer from their Thai, Vietnamese, and Laotian neighbours. It is used for many purposes, including for style, for protection from the hot sun, as an aid for one's feet when climbing trees, as a hammock for infants, as a towel, or as a sarong. A krama can also be easily shaped into a small child's doll for play. Under the Khmer Rouge, all Khmer were forced to wear a checkered krama.
Textiles Silk and cotton weaving in Cambodia have a long history. Written records, bas-reliefs and the report of the Chinese emissary Zhou Daguan who stayed in Angkor in 1296 show that looms have been used to weave sompots since ancient times. Women learned to apply highly complex methods and intricate patterns. According to Zhou silk production was brought into Angkor via Siam, "In recent years people from Siam have come to live in Cambodia, and unlike the locals they engage in silk production. The mulberry trees they grow and the silkworms they raise all came from Siam. They themselves weave the silk into clothes made of a black patterned satiny silk". Silkworms have been bred by villagers along the banks of the Mekong and Bassak rivers as early as the 13th century.
There are three important silk textiles in Cambodia: (1) the ikat silks ( in Khmer), or hol; (2) the twill-patterned silks; and (3) the weft ikat textiles. Patterns are made by tying natural or synthetic fibers on the weft threads and then dyeing them. This process is repeated with different colors until the patterns firm and cloth is woven. Red, yellow, green, blue and black are the most commonly used colors. Colours were traditionally allocated to different days of the week: starting at Monday, they were dark yellow; purple; green; light green; dark blue; dark red; and bright red.
is the Khmer ikat technique. To create patterns, weavers tie-dye portions of weft yarn before weaving begins. Patterns are diverse and vary by region; common motifs include lattice, stars, and spots.
Cambodian clothing styles by period The Khmer sampot with its many variations was generally regarded as the national dress of Cambodia. But variations in clothes sharply indicated position in a firm social hierarchy, as well as regional and period changes. New fashions were slowly passed down to the generations, though some clothing styles disappeared only to be restored in a later period.
Funan era (68—550)
Clothing styles in the first Cambodian period was overwhelmingly influenced by India, at least until the Khmer king at the request of Chinese envoys ordered his subjects to wear the sompot. Despite some similarities, men and women wore distinct clothing styles.
Men: All the males in the region wore Indian styled clothing. The people in the region generally wore sampot chang kben but much more Indian looking than today. The King, his family and nobles had their own style of Sarabat textile imported from China. A bas-relief shows wealthy people wearing the cloth like a Dhoti, winding it around the upper body and tying the waist with a thin piece of cloth.