Kera (clothing)

A kera is a cloth belt, a key element of Bhutanese traditional attire used to tie Gho and Kira, functioning as a type of sash or waistband.

Material

Kera is a rectangular piece of woven fabric that has fringed ends. It is made with different materials such as cotton, wool, and silk or by mixing them.[1] The traditional kera constitutes an elongated and slender textile crafted from cotton or wild silk, embellished with horizontal bands of supplementary-weft patterning. Its standard dimensions generally range from 30 to 45 cm in width and 180 to 240 cm in length.[2]

Style

Kera is a women's garment worn with traditional Bhutanese attire. Women wear it with a skirt-type garment called Kira, while men also use it as a belt with a knee-length robe called Gho.[1] Kera is folded several times in the warp direction and secured around the waist by tucking in the long warp fringe at one end.[2][3] It serves as a belt and pocket or pouch to hold personal things.[1] Kera is also a fashion statement now, but the younger generation wears Kera in a different style than older women.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Barker, David K. (1985). Designs of Bhutan. Bangkok, Thailand: White Lotus. pp. 121, 122. ISBN 978-974-8495-03-3.
  2. ^ a b c From the land of the thunder dragon : textile arts of Bhutan. London: Serindia Publications. 1994. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-906026-33-5.
  3. ^ The Textile Museum (1987). Volume 26 (1987) Costume And Ceremonial Textiles Of Bhutan. p. 31.


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