Fijian Sulu: Wrapped Garment Tradition
The National Garment of Fiji
The sulu is a rectangular cloth wrapped around the waist as a skirt by both Fijian men and women. Far from a simple wrap, the sulu has evolved into a sophisticated garment system with multiple formal and informal variants. In modern Fiji, it is worn everywhere: government offices, schools, churches, and villages, making it one of the few traditional garments serving as both everyday and formal national dress.
Types of Sulu
The most formal is the sulu vaka taga, a tailored wrap skirt with pockets worn with dress shirt and tie by men in business and ceremony. The sulu jaba is simpler, worn casually at home. For women, the sulu styles as a long wrap with blouse or as part of a formal ensemble. Church services require modest-length sulus, often in white or subdued colors.
- Sulu vaka taga: tailored with pockets, formal wear
- Sulu jaba: casual wrap, everyday village wear
- Sulu i ra: ankle-length, modest church wear
- Puletasi: coordinated set for women
Cultural Protocols
Wearing a sulu carries obligations. In villages, visitors must wear sulu as respect, especially entering a bure or attending kava ceremony. Bare legs are disrespectful in formal settings. The sulu also plays a role in ceremonial gift exchange: fine sulu fabric is presented at weddings, funerals, and chiefly installations.
Modern Adaptations
Contemporary designers have expanded the sulu with batik prints, modern fabrics, and tailored cuts while maintaining the wrap-around construction. The Fijian military features a distinctive sulu in its dress uniform, one of the few nations where armed forces wear a traditional wrapped garment.
