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Peruvian Clothing

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What is the clothing worn in Peru like? Is it different than the clothes we are used to seeing? Where can I buy clothes from Peru?

These are good questions and the answers vary depending on the occasion; whether it's day-to-day wear, party clothes, or haut couture with a Peruvian flare.

The clothing that most Peruvians wear in daily life and to work is what you might normally find in a shopping mall department store near you.

That's because the majority of Peruvians live in cities and urban centers now rather than rural areas and are influenced by television, movies, and magazines from the rest of the Western World.

On the other hand, away from the cities you will still find a measure of traditional Peruvian clothing used by women and sometimes the men.

This is usually in the Andes region where the people are less influenced by the Western world.

Also, for festivals, holidays, and general dressing-up occasions, you will probably see a variety of designs, cuts, and colors that is typically Peruvian and culturally reflects Peru's history and heritage.

Traditional Peruvian Textiles and Clothing

In the past centuries there were a number of more or less dominating civilizations in Peru. Each of them surely had a distinctive style. Some of the modes of dress can be seen in a few preserved textiles but are more usually found depicted in pottery or other more durable art.

Artists and designers draw freely from these influences of traditional Peruvian textiles and clothing.

Unfortunately, as in any country, much of the clothing of other Peruvian cultures with less durable art has not survived and can only be guessed at from some few pieces of archaeological importance.

Humility and knowledge in poor clothes excel pride and ignorance in costly attire.

~ William Penn

For a more complete look at some of the styles that have survived, see Traditional Peruvian Textiles and Clothing.

Modern Day Peruvian Textiles and Clothing

Although styles commonly worn in Peru every day are similar to what is worn in other countries, clothing by designers in Peru, of course, exhibits the individual characteristics that identify the particular artist designing those styles.

Many of the clothing designers from Peru openly attribute their design style to the culture heritage surrounding them, drawing freely from the Inca patterns, their stone cutting shapes and images of plants and animals, and also the dress and colors popular at the traditional fiestas, holidays, and parties of Peru.

Peruvian Clothing Designers

Some of those who attribute their designs to Peruvian heritage currently at the cutting edge of Peruvian designers are:

Elfer Castro - reflects his Cusco heritage
Gleny Castro
Ricardo Davila Cherres - derived from costume design found in cultural presentations and festivals
Meche Correa - designer and artist
Lucia Cubas
Ana Maria Guiulfo
Nando Mesia

Some of the up-and-coming younger designers include Emma Giovanna Sanchez Montoya, who was selected to attend the well-known Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Paris and London, and to present her fashions at the Pret-a-Porter fashion shows in January 2011.

Where to Find Designer and Other Peruvian Clothing

Mainly, you will find the best clothing designed in Peru in Lima and Cusco. Other major cities have their own select clothing makers but most end up in the hot spot of Peru fashion, Lima.

Where to find haut couture Peruvian clothing in Lima: