It’s not just Kurds keeping Erbil’s tailors busy at their sewing machines during this holiday season. Foreign diplomats are wearing the unique outfits as they embrace Kurdish culture. South Korea’s Consul Choi Kwang-Jin recalled seeing Falah Mustafa, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s foreign relations department, in his jili Kurdi (Kurdish clothes) on Traditional Clothing Day. “At that time I decided to wear the Kurdish costume. I love Kurdish costume,” he said while at the tailor getting fitted for his outfit. The men’s outfit consists of baggy pants with a fitted top, usually in muted browns and blues. A tight sash – the pishtend – is wrapped around the waist. Some men also wear the checked jamana scarf. The women’s outfit is very colourful. Long multi-hued dresses are often embellished with embroidery or beads, sometimes paired with a short jacket or flowing sleeves. Women and girls usually wear gold jewelry. Headpieces known as klaw – made from cloth or jewelry – are popular. While some Kurds wear their traditional clothing on a daily basis, others only pull it out on special occasions like Newroz – the new year. It was a Newroz celebration that introduced Indian Consul Chandramouli K. Kern to the Kurdistan Region. “I was searching videos of this place and I saw some Newroz videos. The people are dancing around fire in their traditional dress,” he said. That inspired him to don Kurdish threads himself. Japan’s consul general has more than four sets of Kurdish clothing. “It is my suggestion to join, my aspiration to join the people of the local population. I wish to be one of them,” said Consul Katsumi Moriyasu, sitting in his office perfumed with the nergz, the iconic flower of Newroz. There are roughly 40 foreign missions in the Kurdistan Region. In addition to economic and political relations, many of them have also established close cultural relations with the Kurdistan Region.
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