What is a Sarong?

As your one stop portal for all things sarong, we felt the need to take a step back and revisit this rather important question. If you've ever asked yourself - What is a sarong wrap? / What is it made of? / What is it used for? Then look no further because we're here to answer your questions!

Buy Hand Made Traditional Batik Premium Cotton Sarong for only $19.99

Whether they’re featured in history books as a traditional garment of the past, worn on beaches as a bathing suit cover-up, or worn for ceremonial purposes, sarongs are a universal piece of clothing that have a long history. Worn by both men and women in South Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands, a sarong is a long piece of fabric, often decorated with colors and prints that is commonly draped around the body and requires no sewing.

Originating from the Malay word for "covering", sarongs are historically popular in different parts of the world and take on different names in different regions. For example, those residing in the South Pacific Islands call sarongs a “pareos” while those in Indonesia, Thailand, and Philippines call it a “sarong”. The people of Africa call it a “kanga” and those of India call it a “sari”. Ancient Grecian even had their own garment similar to a sarong: the “toga”. The Fijians also have their traditional wear for men known as a “lungi”. No matter what its name is - sarongs hold a special value in certain cultures, particularly Indonesia, that dates back thousands of years.

Handmade Indonesian sarongs are made using a common dyeing technique called batik. The labor - intensive process involves using pieces of wax as a stencil to outline which parts of the sarong will be dyed and which will not. Seen as a true art form in Indonesia, batik is usually seen in the more popular regions of Indonesia (Java and Bali), and can take hours to be made perfect. Men usually wear checkered sarongs as a skirt while women wear more colorful, artistic patterns from the shoulders down.

Batik stamp method

Sarongs are loved for their soft, airy and lightweight feel. Not only do they allow for full body movement, but they are an ideal everyday piece of clothing for labor workers in tropical climates. Commonly worn in the Western world as a bathing suit cover - up, sarongs have become a staple for many due to its versatility.

Originally reserved for Indonesian royalty, sarongs are now seen as an everyday life garment that is worn around the world and come in a variety patterns. A versatile garment, sarongs can be styled in a number of ways and is popularly used when traveling. The most basic way of wearing a sarong is to wrap it length - wise across the waist just above the navel and tie the corners until it is tight and secure.

Other ways to wear a sarong are as follows:

• Drape dress
• Bandeau dress
• Toga dress
• Scarf
• Head wrap
• Bathing suit cover up
• Sarong skirt
• Wrap skirt
• A top

Sarongs are also available in a number of patterns to suit fashion - forward beauties. From animal and floral print to tie dye and solid prints, 1 World Sarongs is a one-stop shop that has a sarong style for every personality.

Hand painted batik method

Looking for a creative way to tie your sarong? Use a brooch or a specially made sarong tie. The latter comes in a number of shapes and colors to suit one’s desire. Common shapes for a sarong tie are floral, heart, butterfly, star, and diamond. It’s a perfect gift to pair with a sarong for your loved ones. 

While sarongs remain a traditional dress form in the Eastern parts of the world, they have quickly become a staple piece of garment worn around the globe in modern times.

Sarong as a beach cover up

In your opinion, what is a sarong? We'd love to hear your thoughts, feel free to leave us a comment! 

8 Hairstyles with Scarves for the Summer

Can you feel the summertime heat in the air? It's my favorite time of the year and I can't wait to share some beach fashion ideas that I've recently discovered during my travel adventures. During the times I spent basking in the sun on the beach, I observed a group of girls and their chic hair styles because it totally caught my attention. You would think that scarves are only popular during winter but I guess some of these girls decided to take advantage of a scarf's versatility for the summer. What a great idea!

So I decided to go deeper than  my usual how to tie a sarong research, since we all already know that sarongs can also be used as scarfs. I wanted to learn how to wrap my hair in a scarf just like them, since it appears to be easy enough to do it yourself (DIY) at home, right?  Be it long or short, curly or straight, blonde or brunette - a scarf head wrap fits all kinds of hairstyles and you can experiment with the look and accessorize in so many different ways.

You can start off by getting inspired from my list of top 10 favorite summer hairstyles using head scarves:

1) Vintage Head Scarf Ribbon

Old school and adorable, it's so easy to style your hair with a simple bow! You can tie all your hair up while you're tanning or simply tie a side pony tail for that cute look!

2) Hippie Head Band

Get that careless and dazed hippie chic look by letting your hair loose and free - using a scarf wrapped across your forehead and tied to a knot behind.

3) Pirate Head Wrap

Do it like Johnny Depp and add your own twist to a pirate look. This style is perfect to show off the beautiful pattern design of your scarf and conveniently protects your head during a sunny hot day!

5) Gypsy Queen Turban

Tuck in your hair to keep the sand away with this bun turban look, I love how it keeps a woman neat and fashionable at the same time! You can play around with the twist bun in any direction depending on your style.

6) Flowy Pony Tail

Who needs a hair tie when you can use a scarf to tie a pony tail? Beautiful and feminine, the fabric drapes nicely onto the skin and works so well with the ocean breeze. 

7) Scarf Braid Hair

Jazz up your usual hair braid by inserting a scarf into a braiding, the scarf creates a cool effect with its color and designs. Wouldn't this look be perfect if you're heading for a road trip in a convertible car?

8) Your Royal High Bun

For all you mermaids with luscious long hair, get the beautiful ballerina look by either tying a ribbon knot at the base of your bun or by keeping your fringe up as if you're using a hair band. 

Shop for this silk scarf for only $8.99

So which one of these cute hairstyles with scarves would you like to try out? Similar to sarongs, there are so many ways to wear a scarf because they are just as versatile and functional. You can browse through 1 World Sarongs collection of scarves and test it out for the summer! Have fun :)

- Sandy xx

(*PS: All images are linked from Pinterest and I do not own any of images)

Beach Wear for Men - Father's Day Gifts

Father's day is around the corner and not to mention summer time and so if you're up for some last minute shopping, why not check our beach clothing for men? We've been focusing too much of sarong for women and forgot to mention that we also do men's beach wear fashion clothing ranging from sarongs, scarves and sarongs! Be it for birthday, anniversary or just for fun, our men's collection are ideal gifts for your loved ones.

Image source

Plus the truth is, we always get excited when we find a chance to spread awareness on men's sarong fashion. We're on a serious mission when we say we want to wrap every person in this whole wide world in a sarong - well, that's our dream anyway :) Here are our top pick items that you can shop for Dad:

1) Bamboo Black Hawaiian Shirt for Men

On sale now for only $19.99

Taking a twist to those old fashioned Hawaiian shirts, we've designed our very own Hawaiian shirts for men in our famous Bamboo pattern. Be it at the beach or city for casual or formal, you can never go wrong with a black shirt that comes with a twist!

2) Men Sulu in Brown

Buy your first Sulu for only $19.99

The newest addition to our men's beach fashion collection, we love how the Fijians make a statement by having men in skirts as their traditional attire. Cool and comfortable, we've designed it with pockets just for that added practicality.

3) Traditional Batik Sarong for Men

Buy a Traditional Cotton Batik on discount at $19.99 only

Our all time best seller needs no explanation. There's no better way to wrap a man in a sarong than in it's traditional form just like how the Indonesians do it. PS: Our Batik sarongs are made in high quality cotton fabric for that extra comfort!

4) Groovy Tie Dye Sarongs for Men

Shop for tie dye sarongs from our large collection

Take it back to the 70s when tie dye art was a major hit. whether your Dad is from the beat and bohemian generation or simply a fan of bright and colorful patterns - we've got a range of vibrant tie dye sarong selections for you to choose from!

5) Solid Color Men Sarong

Buy a blue sarong for only $16.99

Keeping it plain, simple and minimal. Some guys like it that way and there's nothing wrong to it!

6) Hibiscus Hawaiian Shirt for Men 

Shop for the look for only $15.99

Aloha, we couldn't help but create our tropical version of a red Hawaiian shirt in Burgandy and with minimal hibiscus prints. What a great beach shirt for the summer!

7) Solid Color Gauze Scarves

Scarves available starting from $4.99

Men in scarves! Image source

Who in the right mind says that men can't wear scarves? Whether to keep warm or to get fashionable, it would nice to see men styling up with scarves!

We're also running our Wrap! Pose! Win! Photo Contest especially for Dads with a theme, What's Sarong, Dad? Ever wondered what you're dad would think about wrapping himself with a soft piece of cloth? There's only one way to find out...let us know how that works out! Do snap a photo of your Dad in a sarong and send it to us at style at 1worldsarongs dot com. Have fun!

Wrap! Pose! Win! Contest - June Special: What's Sarong, Dad?

Next round of photo submissions should be fun! We want you to grab any of our sarongs and teach your Dad how to wear a sarong. Snap a photo and send it to us, the best photo of the month stands chance to win a free sarong. Sounds easy? Whether you win or not, sharing is caring and educating more men to get into the sarong fashion sounds like a great cause to us. Send your entries to us before 30th June 2014 with your NAME and ADDRESS to style@1worldsarongs.com. Good luck and have fun :)

Terms and conditions:

1. CONTEST PARTICIPANTS must be wearing items FROM 1 World Sarong’s. EITHER clothing or sarongs in photos…BE creative, BE imagination and KEEP it clean! (OUR MOM’S ARE WATCHING)
2. SUBMITTED PHOTOS WILL BECOME THE PROPERTY OF 1 WORLD SARONGS AND WILL BE USED ON OUR WEBSITE OR IN PROMOTIONS AT THE SOLE DISCRETION OF 1 WORLD SARONGS AND BY SUBMITTING PHOTOS ALL CLAIMS TO PHOTOS ARE RELINQUISHED.
3. Chosen winner can choose your free sarong gift for your Dads and the maximum value will be 16.99.
4. We will ship your sarong for FREE to you. This means sarong prize includes free shipping to a U.S. continental address only. International orders will need to pay for shipping or have 1 free sarong with shipping.

Best Sarong Photo of the Month!

Our Wrap! Pose! Win! Photo Contest winner for the month of May has been announced! We received such lovely submissions and sometimes we just want to pick all of you and give out free sarongs to everyone because receiving your photos in our sarongs truly makes us happy. We have the best customers ever and today we just wanted to express our gratitude in being able to LOVE what we do and also bring happiness to all our customers. Seeing our customers wearing our sarongs with a smile on their face keeps us motivated to continue working hard to bring you a greater collection of beautiful sarongs that are well priced and of great quality. So, thank you :)