Boubou: traditional clothing of Senegal

Boubou is an essential African garment that can be found in Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Djibouti and other countries of Central Africa.
 In Senegal, boubou is a wide, light garment in Wax or Bazin, pleasant to wear, which is the typical traditional dress of the Senegalese.
The word boubou comes from the word wolof “mbubb”, it is a garment that is worn in the life of every day and at festivals and great occasions. It slips through the head and reveals the social position.
 

Boubou, unisex outfit for men and women.

Men wear a large boubou which consists of a tunic, pants and a boubou over it. It measures between 9 and 12 meters and the neck is triangular. But it is a garment that is worn by both men and women.
In women, the boubou consists of a wide tunic open at the sides, with a generous round neckline that tends to slide over the shoulder. They also have a loincloth and a scarf called “moussor.” Indeed, the moussor is a headscarf that each form carries in several ways.

 
Boubou in other African countries.
In Mauritania, men usually wear a blue boubou, in damask Bazin, with golden embroidery. They also have puffy pants called harem pants with the boubou. It is held at the waist by a belt in cook.
In Djibouti, most Djiboutians wear the traditional “boubou”. It is a long colorful wide dress. It is worn loose, with a lace petticoat. They wear a shawl over their shoulders.
The model and name differ by region and country.

 
Manufacture of boubou.
Boubou is a rich garment that can be made with wax fabric, Bazin or cotton. Embroidery can be simple or detailed at the neckline, back or pockets for male boubous. In addition, the finishes are great qualities. What makes boubou is the fabric and the embroidery. The most expensive boubou is made in Damask Bazin and is very expensive.
Before, boubou was sewn and hand-embroidered in a traditional way. But today, we save time in the creation of boubou thanks to the sewing machine. There is a wide variety of loincloth. It can be long or short, embroidered or embroidered, simple and colorful.
 
Nowadays.
Many Senegalese designers like Colle Sow Ardo or Oumou Sy create boubous that they export abroad. They merge the traditional boubous with more modern styles, to adapt to the taste of each one.

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