Traditional Hmong Attire

Traditionally, women wore a headwrap called a "phuam" (pronounced "pua") for both aesthetic and practical purposes. In the hot sun, the head wrap would collect sweat while working in the fields. Nowadays, the headwrap is made into a hat that is easy to wear for special occasions.

Women's shirts typically were long sleeved with matching colorful or embroidered cuffs and collars. The fabric is traditionally plain black or dark indigo, but with access to a variety of fabrics, they can also have printed designs. On the back of the shirt is the spirit collar or "dab tsho" (pronounced "dah-chaw") hanging right where the neck of the shirt starts in the back.

A Hmong outfit is incomplete without a silver necklace called a "xauv" (pronounced "sow"), which means lock in the Hmong language. To the Hmong, this necklace represents a spirit lock that is meant to protect one's soul from harm or illness.

Holding the skirt and the apron around the waist are colorful sashes, traditionally green and/or pink/red, called a "hlab sev" (pronounced "hlah-shay").

Mostly seen worn by women and rarely by men, is an apron in the front called a "sev" (pronounced "shay"). Its purpose is to hide the opening of the women's skirt or pants. Sometimes, women will also wear one in the back, so that their skirt or pants don't get dirty when they sit down.

The pleated skirt called a "tiab" (pronounced "thia") is perhaps the most iconic part of a Hmong woman's outfit. Traditionally, it is weaved from hemp-reed fibers, soaked in ash water to turn it white, and then hand stitched to create the permanent pleats. The skirt is also an easy way to distinguish the different Hmong subgroups. For example, the White Hmong leave their skirts plain white and undecorated while the Hmong leng/Green Hmong batik and dye their skirts in indigo as well as embroider colorful designs onto them.

More of an accessory than a necessity, Hmong men and boys can sometimes be seen wearing caps on their heads. These can be plain black, have alternating blue and black panels, and/or be decorated with coins and pom poms. In the past, men also wore headwraps like women but this trend stopped due to lack of affordability for fabric.

Traditionally, men also wore a shirt similar to women's shirts (some still do), but the newer style is to wear a vest over a western-style collared shirt.

Hmone men also wear a silver necklace called a "xauv" (pronounced "sow"), which means lock in the Hmong language and is meant to protect one's soul from harm or illness. However, men sometimes wear simpler versions of women's necklaces with less layers.

If Hmong men wanted to accessorize, they could wear coin-beaded sashes across their chest called "hlab nyiaj" (pronounced "hlah-nyeah"). Both men and women can wear coin-beaded sashes.

Both men and women wear a red or pink sash around their waist called a "hlab" (pronounced "hlah"). The difference, however, is that the ends of the sash hang in the front for men and in the back for women (with the exclusion of some styles of women's clothing that do both).

Pants for men are quite simple. Typically they are black though some prefer a bright blue. For White Hmong men, the pants are narrow while for Hmong Leng/Green Hmong men, the pants have a dropcrotch and appear baggy.