VII International scientific conference

„Contemporary trends and innovations in the textile industry“

19-20th September, 2024, Belgrade, Serbia
________________________________________________________________________
THE COSTUME IN EGYPT AS INSPIRATION FOR THE
REDESIGN OF MEN'S CONTEMPORARY CLOTHES

Professional paper
DOI: 10.5937/CT_ITI24036R

Sanja Risteski1*, Silvana Zhezhova1,a, Saska Golomeova Longurova1,b, Sonja

Jordeva1,c, Vangja Dimitrijeva-Kuzmanoska2.d
1
Faculty of Technology, Goce Delchev University, Shtip, North Macedonia, Krste
Misirkov No. 10-A, North Macedonia
*[email protected], ORCID 0009-0000-9390-0929
a
ORCID 0009-0009-0285-5700
b
ORCID 0009-0002-2182-8520
c
ORCID 0009-0002-2539-3827
2
Art Academy, Goce Delchev University, Shtip, Nort Macedonia
d
ORCID 0009-0004-7903-4306
_______________________________________________________________________
ABSTRACT: In this paper, the look at Ancient Egypt culture and fashion in Egypt is given.
By way of preface to what will be the subject of interest, a brief review of life in Egypt was
made. Fashion, materials and people's culture through a new redesigned model of men’s
costume are presented. The model is innovative and creative for the modern fashion world
through hand painted applications and their contemporary interpretation. The
unbreakable connection between the contemporary and ancient fashion is also given.

Keywords: fabric, clothing, history, trends, materials.

_______________________________________________________________________
NOŠNJA U EGIPTU KAO INSPIRACIJA ZA REDIZAJN MUŠKE
SAVREMENE ODEĆE
_______________________________________________________________________
APSTRAKT: U ovom radu dat je pogled na staroegipatsku kulturu i modu u Egiptu. Kao
uvod u ono što će biti predmet interesovanja, napravljen je kratak osvrt na život u Egiptu.
Moda, materijali i kultura ljudi predstavljeni su kroz novi redizajniran model muškog
kostima. Model je inovativan i kreativan za savremeni modni svet kroz ručno oslikane
aplikacije i njihovu savremenu interpretaciju. Takođe je data neraskinliva veza između
savremene i antičke mode.

Ključne reči: tkanina, odeća, istorija, trendovi, materijali.

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1. INTRODUCTION
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Union of engineers and textile technicians of Serbia

 VII Međunarodna naučna konferencija
„Savremeni trendovi i inovacije u tekstilnoj industriji“
19-20. septembar 2024. Beograd, Srbija
________________________________________________________________________
Fashion is a global industry that is invested in expectation what we wear and how we
wish to perform to others. Fashion is not just a business, it is also a cultural and social
phenomenon, steer by the desire for the new.
Fashion is always dynamic and open to change. Fashion is everywhere. It is now one of
the main ways in which people present their selves to others, signaling what they want to
communicate about their style, wealth, professionalism, subcultural and political
allegiances, social status, even their mood. It is also a global industry with huge economic,
political and cultural impact, from the impact of the catwalk on mainstream retail, to
sweatshop production and celebrity branding [1].
The apparel industry is a heterogeneous entity where the design, technology and
management of fashion activities are geared towards mass production, limited edition, high
fashion clothing, crafts, exports and other niche segments. The design process involves
multiple creative processes such as research, analysis and decision making. Throughout the
entire design process, sources of inspiration play a major role in creating special and unique
designs. Inspiration is considered a magical tool for all designers and can be found
everywhere.
Designers in the textile and fashion industry are under constant pressure in terms of
developing new design ideas where the design should be distinct and striking to keep the
customer's attention. Creative ideas are elevated by experience and expertise. It is said that
those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it [1,2, 3].
Sources of inspiration, both technically and visually, are crucial in increasing creativity in
the process of design. Visualisation can be a source of inspiration. At every level of the
marketplace and from every corner of the globe, the ancient costumes are inspiration for
designers who can appreciate its beauty and who wish to interpret it for themselves.
Designers can take a cue from ancient cultures and explore the degrees of separation that
link them and any of their ideas to kindred historical counterparts [3, 4, 5].

1.1. Ancient costume in Egypt as an inspiration

Ancient early civilizations such as Egypt and Mesopotamia are characterized by a rich
history, with a huge number of documents from this early period, as much as 5000 years
before our era. So, today we have a lot infomations about the clothing of the ancient
Egyptians, primarily on the basis of the preserved cultural heritage - numerous statuettes
and wall paintings that, thanks to the extremely dry climate, have been preserved in huge
numbers. The documentation available is much larger compared to other ancient
civilizations, especially in terms of their preservation/good condition. Based on the
preserved data, can be state that in a long period of over three thousand years, minimal
changes in the costumes can be observed.
The lifestyle of an Ancient Egyptian depended on one's social class. The pharaoh and his
vizier with the nobles would devote their time work to administrative tasks to maintain the
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kingdom. Priests played an active role in society. Religion in Egypt was a vital part of
culture, and the gods were believed to take active roles in punishing and promoting the
people. Keeping the gods satisfied was extremely important, and it was the role of the
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priests to perform the necessary rituals. They were also responsible for preparing bodies

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 VII International scientific conference
„Contemporary trends and innovations in the textile industry“
19-20th September, 2024, Belgrade, Serbia
________________________________________________________________________
for burial. The process of mummification gives them an opportunity to learn something
more about the human body, knowledge which enabled them to become surgeons. To be a
priest required extensive training, so the priests were highly respected in their society.
Scribes were responsible for housekeeping, legal matters, trade,military, and for every
aspect of Egyptian life. It was very hard to become a scribe, and it required many years of
dedicated work. To learn to read and write in hieroglyphics, they had to be familiar with
the topics they wrote about, so they get training in religion in particular so that all records
of the gods could be kept.
The Egyptian equivalent of paper was Papyrus. Papirus was made from the reeds of the
papyrus plant. The process of making papyrus was expensive and time-consuming process,
scribes often take notes on ostraca, which is broken pottery pieces easy to make
inexpensive.
When discussing ancient Egyptian fashion It seems most appropriate to use the word
“unwrap”, wich means unwrap the clothing usually made of linen used during mum-
mification.The act of wrapping and unwrapping cloth was a significant activity in ancient
Egypt, and the same item of cloth could be used and reused in numerous ways. Each time
a cloth was wrapped, it gave protection in a literal or symbolic/figurative sense.
Egyptian garments were in a form of rectangular pieces of cloth that were used and worn
in many different ways. On the first sight, they are simple rectangular shapes, but they look
significantly different when draped over the body in a tomb or as depicted in art.
In a broatest sense we can define clothing as everything that is worn on the body, such as
various garments, but also headgear, shoes, adornments, and accessories.
This definition can be narrowed and limited to the items that literally cover different parts
of the human body. So, in ancient Egypt, those body covers were divided into two major
groups:
1. Untailored/wraparound (kilts, skirts, and dresses, shawls and cloaks.)
2. Tailored/cut-to-shape garments (tunics, hip-cloths, loincloths, body-sash-es or
neck-sashes, etc.).
Additionally, the wardrobe of ancient Egyptians consists of a variety of accessories, such
as belts, headbands, socks, mittens and gloves.
One of the most usual cut-to-shape garments was a tunic, a garment that was usually worn
by men, women, and children. This garment was made of a rectangular piece of cloth that
was folded in half and sewn on both sides. At the top of each side, an armhole was left
along with a V-neck opening on top for the head. The basic pattern of tunic was sleeveless.
Separate sleeves could if needed could be attached to the armholes.
In the period of the so-called Old Kingdom (2700–2200 BC) characteristic clothing was
schenti (Figure 1), a piece of cloth that was wrapped around the hips and was tightened at
the waist with a belt. For some types of dignitaries this piece of clothing was more wrinkled
and stiffer and sometimes decorated. In the period of the Old, Middle and New Kingdom,
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ancient Egyptian women also wore a long pleated tunic called "Kalasiris" which was
transparent and underneath it could be seen the underwear that covered the hips.
Kalasiris (Figure 2) was a thin, form-fitting dress made of nearly transparent linen, and was
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worn by women in ancient Egypt. It was noticed in the court and among the upper class,

Union of engineers and textile technicians of Serbia

 VII Međunarodna naučna konferencija
„Savremeni trendovi i inovacije u tekstilnoj industriji“
19-20. septembar 2024. Beograd, Srbija
________________________________________________________________________
as well as by artisans and farmers. This dress was tight and tube-shaped, sewn together on
one side to make a slim skirt that goes from the ankles and up to the chest, continues under
the armpits and was held up by two straps on the shoulder, attached behind the neck,
meeting in front and exposing the breasts.
The dress evolved into a simple tunic that was also worn by men, usually over the shendot.
Children did not wear clothes until the period of maturity, which was around the age of 12,
and at this age the boys were circumcised and their heads were shaved. Mothers were
responsible for caring for the children, and fathers provided the income for the families[4,
5, 6].

Figure 1: Apperiance of Shenti

Source: seekpng.com

Figure 2: Apperiance of Kalasiris

Source: https://malevus.com/kalasiris/

1.2. Elements of Egyptian clothing

In ancient Egypt, the most common used textile was linen. Because of the high temerature
this material helped people to be comfortable in the subtropical heat.
Linen material is made from the flax plant by spinning the fibers from the stem of the plant.
Spinning, weaving and sewing were very important techniques for all Egyptian societies.
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There was possibilty for plant dyes to be applied to clothing but this clothing was usually
used in its natural color. Wool was also known, but they considered it as impure fiber.
The pharaohs were monarchs of ancient Egypt. They ruled from the First Dynasty (c. 3150
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BCE) until the annexation of Egypt by the Roman Republic in 30 BCE. Pharaoh was often

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 VII International scientific conference
„Contemporary trends and innovations in the textile industry“
19-20th September, 2024, Belgrade, Serbia
________________________________________________________________________
considered to be divine incarnation of Horus, and the unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt. In
their apperiance the often wear animal skins, usually lion or leopard.
Ornaments were main decorative part in Egyptian clothing with some symbolic elements.
During Old Kingdom period Egyptians wore different types of amulets, magic pendant
which later were turned into ornaments. Round necklaces were woven with gold, jewels
and coloured glass beads symbolized sun disk. Arm and leg bracelets, rings, pendants, gold
diadems beads, and belts were also widely used.
Wigs were also used, usually made of plant fibre or wool. The elite wore long wigs with
slender braids or pipe curls. Small wigs were specific for slavers and peasants and they
also wear caps made of linen. Men shaved their beards, but it was also usual to wear
artificial beards made of wool varnishing them over and plaiting metal threads into them.
Golden beard of Pharaoh simbolized his power. The sandals of palm leaves, leather and
papyrus were worn only by Pharaoh and his suite. Sandals had simple forms, without side
and back and with turned up sole [7, 8].

2. EXPERIMENTAL

2.1. Design inspired by Ancient Egypt

2.1.1. Inspiration for the Model
The main decorative value in the Egyptian costume consisted of decorations that included
symbols as the main element. During the ancient kingdom of the Egyptians, all kinds of
charms, magical attachments gradually became decorations. The circular decorations of
the neck symbolized the solar disc, so this circular decorations are also used as an
inspiration for the collar in the new redesigned model.
The new model is a man costume, inspired by the most common symbols from the ancient
Egypt mythology. The symbols used as an inspiration are given bellow.
The Egyptian eye (Figure 3), commonly known as the eye of Horus, is one of the most
common symbols of Egyptian mythology. The eye of Horus plays a big role in the fight
between Horus and Set and still has an influence in Egyptian culture today.
The Egyptians wore this eye as a talisman, believing that it had therapeutic capabilities and
was enable to protect the wearer from all forms of disease.
Many of the people used it as a sort of good-luck charm, and it was like a guardian of its
owner's physical and spiritual health. This symbol was also used in funeral rituals,
believing that will offer protect on his journey to the realm of the dead.
The Uraeus is the symbol of the Egyptian snake goddess Wadjet. Wadjet was protector of
the Lower Egypt worshiped as the patroness of the Nile Delta. The term “Uraeus” was
known by the Upper Egyptian scholar Horapollo at the end of the 5th century AD in his
treatise Hieroglyphica, where he gives an ideographic interpretation of hieroglyphic
writing.
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The snake (Figure 4) symbol was worn by the pharaohs symbolize Wadjet's protection of
the pharaoh and her approval of his claim of sovereignty.
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 VII Međunarodna naučna konferencija
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The snakes and cobra were symbols of resurrection. They were associated with the solar
myths depicting the Sun’s journey through the sky and the underworld, known as the Duat
[9,10].

Figure 3: The eye of Horus as an inspiration for the Model (© Jeff Dahl)

Figure 4: The Uraeus as symbol of the Egyptian snake goddess Wadjet

Source: (https://study.com/academy/lesson/egyptian-uraeus-definition-symbol-
meaning.html)

3. RESULT AND DISCUSSION

3.1.1. New redesigned model of men’s costume

The redesigned model was inspired by a men's costume in Ancient Egypt, with a special
emphasis at jewelry color and design. The gold color was applied to the new model in a
form of handwork, which gives the model decay and freshness. The model consists of a
jacket and trousers with long belt.
The Egyptian shenti was artfully transformed into a modern pattern of trousers with a
lowered saddle that shows the freedom of movement and comfort offered by the Egyptian
shenti. Minimalist design, with a simple cut, was enriched with hand-drawn segments of
Egyptian mythology. The color of the model was deliberately left to be white and natural,
so that it can bring the new model closer to Egyptian culture, where the natural color of the
linen was the most commonly used color in the ancient Egyptian costume.
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The cheerful colors can be seen in the new model around the collar. This colors describe
the vibrancy of the Egyptians. The mixing of green, red and blue in a form of triangle as
the main construction form of shenti, gives the model more colorful and fresh look. These
colors supplemented by the golden tresses, shown the power and nobility of the Egyptian
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people.

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„Contemporary trends and innovations in the textile industry“
19-20th September, 2024, Belgrade, Serbia
________________________________________________________________________
Two gold-colored snakes are drawn by hand on the bottom of the model, representing the
power divinity, sovereignty. Through the drawn eye are shown the beauty, protection and
moderation. The cobra symbol on the new model is made of rope and is located on the back
of the model, as a symbol of protection the vital parts of human body.
The model also have a soft belt that contains the same colors as the collar of the shirt
complemented the bottom of the design.

Figure 5: The appearance of handwork in the redesigned model

Figure 6: The final appearance of the model (front and rear)

4. CONCLUSION
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The Egyptians were a people who liked to dress up and who were involved in fashion.
Whether it was men or women, peasants or kings or queens. They were all marked in the
colors of life of happiness. They believed in gods, they were showered in gold and luxury.
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The most used material in Egyptian costume was linen. Children did not wear clothes until

Union of engineers and textile technicians of Serbia

 VII Međunarodna naučna konferencija
„Savremeni trendovi i inovacije u tekstilnoj industriji“
19-20. septembar 2024. Beograd, Srbija
________________________________________________________________________
the period of maturity, which was around the age of 12, and at this age the boys were
circumcised and their heads were shaved. Mothers were responsible for caring for the
children, and fathers provided the income for the families.
The main clothing of the women was the "Kalasiris", which later men began to wear as
well. New elements of clothing began to appear over time. One of them was the upper robe.
It was a kind of shawl, which gathered gently in folds from above the waistcoat and crossed
over the chest to form short sleeves.
The main decorative value in the Egyptian costume is characterized by ornaments that
include elements of symbols. During the ancient kingdom of the Egyptians, all kinds of
amulets, magical pendants, gradually became decorations.
The circular ornaments on the neck symbolized the solar system. Egyptians enjoyed the
modern, that they adored color and decorations.
Egyptian culture is a great treasure trove of ideas and inspirations for fashion designers.
Through the analysis of that culture, clothing and fashion accessories, a redesign of a male
model that is wearable in the 21st century has been made.
The new model is inspired by men's clothing in Egypt, and the model itself incorporates
details that take us back to an ancient civilization. The new redesigned model is
representative of a modern age in which traces of ancient civilizations and their perfect
artistic creation are still felt.

REFERENCES

[1] Faiers, J. (2008). Tartan (Series: Textiles That Changed the World). Bloomsbury Visual
Arts.
[2] Gale, G., Kaur, J. (2002). The Textile Book. Berg Publishers.
[3] Calderin J. (2011). Fashion design essentials. Rockport Publishers.
[4] Basic Pattern Development, (2014). Students Handbook + Practical Manual for Class
- XII. The Secretary, Central Board of Secondary Education.
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opment-XII.pdf. Accessed on: 5 Мау 2024.
[5] Kertakova, M., Risteski, S., Dimitrijeva, V., Efremov, J. (2019). Fashion as a social
phenomenon-socio-psychological mechanisms of impact. Contemporary trends and
innovation in the textile industry. pp. 70-78. ISSN 978-86-900426-1-6.
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[7] Tierney, T. (1999). Ancient Egyptian Fashions. Dover Publications, Incorporated.
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[9] https://historicaleve.com/ Accessed on: 20.05.2024

[10] Daily Life in Ancient Egypt. Facts & History. Study.
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