Colors of Tradition

Cambodia

Cambodia is one of the few countries that still maintains many traditional values, including its traditional costumes. These garments look gorgeous because they are carefully designed and well made to small details. Cambodian traditional costume is the pride of Khmer culture and perfectly preserved up to now. Sampot is the traditional garment created, developed and preserved by Khmer people in Cambodia. Sampot is the large rectangular piece of cloth, which usually has a length of five to six feet, is wrapped around the lower part of the body and tied up at the belly with various colors and patterns. There are several types of Sampot including Sampot Chang Kben, Sampot Phamoung and Sampot Hol, each type worn by a certain class.

Sampot Chang Kben

Sampot Chang Kben

Sampot Chang Kben is not a skirt but a rectangular pant, and longer than other sampots, with measures of 2.7m long and 1m wide. It’s worn by wrapping around the waist, covered along the body, and a small knot in front of the belly is tied and held in place by a sparkling belt. In the past, this sampot represented for middle and upper class female for day-to-day wear. These clothes are made by high class materials and decorated with many patterns revealing the class whose wear it is such as the flower or graphic sinking motifs. Nowadays, all Cambodian women wear Sampot Chang Kben at festivals or special occasions.

Sampot Phamoung

Sampot Phamoung

Sampot Phamoung is another type of sampot which is a very popular weaving fabric from Cambodia. On the Sampot Phamuong, there are 52 different colors used in and twill weaved on the surface. The luxurious Sampot Phamoung fabric is created by 22 different needles, combined with countless paintings, floral and geometrical patterns. These patterns are divided into some variations such as chorcung, kaneiv, rabak, bantok and anlounh. Especially, (yellow silk) the main material for a Phamuong. That is the most famous silken satin in the Kingdom of Cambodia due to its excellent quality.

Sampot Hol

Sampot Hol

Another popular sampot in Cambodia is Sampot Hol with two basic types: common dress and cross-woven dress. This style of sampot is influenced by Indian patola fabrics and today’s subtle Hol fabrics have experienced a period of development of patterns and knitwear. The Sampot Hol is a wrapping skirt, consisting of over 200 patterns with 3 or 5 colors, like yellow, brown, red, green, and blue. Flowers, geometry and animals are the main motifs found in the Sampot Hol. Cambodian weavers use traditional techniques as “chong kiet” and twill weave to create Sampot Hol.

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