Home-made folk costumes
As Latvians left the refugee camps and slowly settled in their new countries, in many Latvian homes people made their own folk costumes. Mothers made costumes for their children, girls for themselves and their friends in dance groups and choirs. In the early years of exile, it was difficult to obtain information about the making of folk costumes as well as the appropriate materials. With creativity and hard work, yarn and fabrics were dyed, crowns were beaded, bonnets and shirts were embroidered.
The relatively recent popular movement called “A Folk Costume for Everyone” (“Katram savu tautastērpu” est. 2016) is nothing new among Latvians abroad. The concept has at least 75 years of history, beginning with Latvians becoming exiles after WWII – when making and wearing your own folk costume helped maintain and preserve the link with the lost homeland.