Traditional Clothing in the Maldives

The Libaas

The most recognisable garment in traditional Maldivian women's dress is the libaas — a long, flowing dress that typically features intricate embroidery, bright colours, and elegant detailing around the neckline, cuffs, and hem. Historically, the libaas was everyday wear for women across the atolls, and its style varied between regions, with southern atolls favouring somewhat different cuts and embroidery patterns than the north.

The craftsmanship involved in making a traditional libaas was considerable. Embroidery patterns — known as kasabu viyun — were often done in gold or silver thread, and the designs carried symbolic meaning. Women learned these skills from their mothers and grandmothers, and a beautifully embroidered libaas was a source of personal and family pride.

Today, the traditional libaas is worn primarily for special occasions — weddings, Eid celebrations, national events, and cultural performances. It remains a powerful symbol of Maldivian identity and is often seen during festivities on local islands.

The Mundu

For Maldivian men, the traditional garment is the mundu — a sarong-like cloth wrapped around the waist and reaching to the ankles. The mundu is practical, comfortable in the tropical heat, and well-suited to island life. It is typically made from cotton and may be plain white, coloured, or patterned.

The mundu was once universal daily wear for men, paired with a shirt or left bare-chested during physical work such as fishing. For more formal occasions, men would wear a white mundu with a long-sleeved shirt, sometimes adding a buri (a type of headwrap) or a cap. Older men on some outer islands still wear the mundu daily, and it remains the standard attire for attending Friday prayers at the mosque.

Historical Dress and Change

Before the widespread adoption of more modest clothing influenced by Islamic norms, Maldivian dress was notably simpler and more revealing, particularly among working people. Early European visitors to the Maldives in the 16th and 17th centuries described islanders wearing relatively little, suited to the hot climate and the demands of fishing and manual labour.

Over the centuries, dress became more conservative, reflecting both the deepening of Islamic practice and contact with traders and visitors from more formally dressed societies. The libaas and mundu represent a middle period of Maldivian dress — traditional but modest — while more recent decades have seen further changes.

Modern Dress

Contemporary Maldivians, particularly in Malé and other urban areas, dress much like people anywhere in the modern world. Young men wear jeans, t-shirts, and casual Western-style clothing. Women's dress varies — some wear the hijab (headscarf) with modern modest fashion, others dress in contemporary styles without a headscarf, and some choose the niqab (face veil). There is a spectrum of personal choice within the broader framework of Islamic modesty.

On local islands outside Malé, dress tends to be slightly more traditional and conservative than in the capital. You are more likely to see older women in variations of the libaas and older men in mundus. Among younger generations, global fashion trends mix with local sensibilities.

What Visitors Will See

If you are staying on a resort island, you will see Maldivian staff members in resort uniforms, and the dress code for guests is relaxed — swimwear, casual clothing, and beachwear are all standard. Resort islands are private environments with their own norms.

On local islands, the situation is different. Visitors are expected to dress modestly when away from designated bikini beaches — this means covering shoulders and knees for both men and women. This is not an oppressive rule but a sign of respect for the community you are visiting. A light shirt or sarong over swimwear is all it takes. For detailed guidance on what to wear in different settings, see our practical information section.

If you are lucky enough to attend a local celebration — a wedding, an Eid gathering, or a bodu beru performance — you may see traditional dress in its full glory. These are wonderful opportunities to appreciate the artistry and cultural significance of Maldivian clothing traditions.