Omani national identity has been very well described in the language of fashion, and tradition costume increasingly becomes contemporary fashion. Edge-to-the-moment contemporary fashion cultures of such nature are indication of cultural richness in Oman and indication of tension in the here and now as it gets more globalized.
Traditional Omani dress remains at the forefront of national image. The long dishdasha remains a symbol of cultural pride and is normally made of costly cotton or silk. Plain make is normally supplemented with infinitesimally tiny ornamentation or embroidery at the collar, individualization being within conventionally established limits. Abaya remains woman’s traditional dress but totally restyled in form. Easy to wear, the abaya is now commonly embellished with contemporary touches in the way of embroidery, beading, and contemporary cutting—all an intermix of tradition and fashion.
Locally, and even among the young people, there is real change in dressing up old clothes and the belief that is placed on it. Young Omanis choose to mix traditional wear with global additions, e.g., designer shoes, bright-colored handbags, and fresh bling. This is harmonious with a new culture trend of accepting tradition and copying fashion sense of the world at large, frequently from foreign catwalk models and adapted to local conditions. One here observes fashion models on foreign catwalks dressed as Omani-style clothes.
Omani fashion is enjoying a new crop of young new faces making their debut and redefining fashion Omani. They are all mixing Omani pattern, material, and bespoke in new and innovative ways every day. Others have gone green and sustainable production paradigms together with broader philosophies globally based on ecologically and socially sustainable models. The two-barreled emphasis on tradition and innovation is putting Oman’s fashion world on the competition locally and internationally.
The virtual spaces have spearheaded the revolution in culture. Instagram youth, fashion youth, has taken over the website to where fashion Omani is being consumed and adopted. Fashion youth are adopting the websites to recreate the past within the culture of fashion, posting how-to style tips, and promoting national pride. The virtual website is not only speaking powerful national identity but taking Omani fashion global.
The fusion of tradition and trend in Omani style is a sign of further cultural change. Oman’s transition into the modern world, the modernization of the country, Oman’s look indicates the way the past is being marketed with purpose. Loosening their hair on the catwalk, the Omanis are forging a new identity that is devoted to the past but soon to enter the here and now—and the hereafter.
