The Mat Region is a cultural and geographical area in the northeastern part of Albania. The traditional costumes of this region include unique elements of its art and tradition. Folk costumes are the embodiment of community life. This fact is distinctly evident in the costumes of Mat, which have an extraordinary diversity. The history of the region is written in them.

The costumes of Mat are divided into two major groups: white and black. The white ones are the costumes used by the Catholic population. In this sense, they are the traditional costumes of Mat, considering that before the Ottoman conquest, that is, before the Islamization of the population, all the inhabitants of Mat were Catholics. Then comes the “black costume,” which was only used in villages with Muslim populations. The color is truly significant.

In Mat, the great variety of costumes can be divided into five groups with common characteristics. The villages had almost the same development, which is well reflected in their clothes, their material, and especially the decorations used on them, particularly in the Guri  Bardhë county.

As for men’s clothing, it appears unified in all regions. Until the 1920s-30s of the 20th century, the daily outfit of Mat men was one with narrow trousers and a jacket. In special cases, a vest was worn over the jacket.

Generally, in the costumes of the Mat region, the long and wide white shirt strikes everyone’s  eyes. Additionally, the headscarf in all regions is white in color. More or less the same is the embroidery done with cotton fabric and decorated with red and yellow stripes.

Although the variants used from one village to another belong to the type of dressing with long shirts and two front pockets, the differences appear in the way the headscarf is tied and the decorations accompanying them in the type of vests used. Somewhere they are monochrome (orange or yellow), accompanied by a vest decorated with artificial motifs, elsewhere quilted with a piece of cotton, decorated with black and yellow stripes as well as with black ribbons.

The most interesting element in this costume, which constitutes a unique case, is a kind of belt created by the union of 33 strips in the form of triangles with cherry-colored wool threads.

The costumes have preserved some elements of past urbanization such as sleeve forms, various decorations, etc. The material was expensive and continuously came from the markets of oriental countries. Some parts stand out more, one called “gërzhanëz” (having the shape of an open-front dress), the vest, and the scarf, all decorated with gold threads, the belt accompanied by a silver chain, etc.

Usually, their tailoring was done by specialized urban craftsmen especially for these types of clothing. The luxury of the various parts was also added by numerous gold trims, unlike those from other rural regions which were usually made of silver. The Mat region has a rich cultural and traditional heritage, and traditional costumes are an important part of its identity.

/k.s/