Philippine Culture: The Barong Tagalog

Few things are as uniquely Filipino as the Barong Tagalog. But do you know why they have such an unusual style, how they originated and when they should be worn, even by expats?

The Barong is the dress shirt and traditional Filipino clothing for men. The formal men's wear of the Filipino. A plain Barong is worn during the day and for business, with the more elaborate Barongs kept for formal and party wear - quite surprising when you realize that the Barong was introduced as a mark of inferior social status.

Barong Tagalog History

The Barong Tagalog history is rather a strange tale. Its development started because of the draconian ‘dress code’ laws of Spanish rule, which forced indigenous peoples to wear only ‘native’ clothing.

At that time, the style and type of clothes you wore indicated social standing. The Spanish felt that by forcing Filipinos to wear a native Barong, it reinforced their ‘inferiority’ in relation to their Spanish ‘overlords’.

It must be understood that the Spanish dress code was enforced for practical as well as social reasons; mainly to prevent Filipinos from concealing weapons. To make sure of this, the Spanish demanded that Barong material be transparent and, as they felt that Filipinos should have nothing to hide or lose, pockets were not permitted, and shirt-tails could not be tucked into the trousers. Simply put, the Barong’s original design, shape, and style of wear was wholly due to the demands of the Spanish enforcement of the dress code law.

As years passed, upper class Filipinos wanted to show their status. However, while these local ‘aristocrats’ had businesses, large houses, money, and apparent power, they were still subject to the Spanish dress code. Raging against this, they wanted clothes that would comply with the Spanish dress code, but reflected that they had high status.

Translucent and Exotic Barong Tagalog

Because the Spanish forbid ‘indios’ from importing or using imported silk or fabrics, this meant developing luxurious, translucent materials from local resources. However, having such material wasn’t enough; so, to finish off the garment and display its finery, they began to have intricate designs embroidered on the front of the barong. This led to the Barong being among the most exquisite and unique shirts ever produced. These style developments meant that while the Spanish believed native clothing would always show inferior social status, the exotic Barong material with elaborate embroidery far outshone any Spanish finery.

The Barong Tagalog finally took its place throughout Filipino society when, as the first president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, President Quezon made the Barong a major part of the Filipino national dress. This brought the status of the Barong full circle: from a garment that mirrored Filipino oppression and Spanish mastery to a symbol of high social stature and Filipino regaining mastery of their own country and culture.

Today the Barong is worn with pride by all from the highest to the lowest in the land.

A Barong Tagalog is an essential requirement for men at formal parties, official functions and weddings. This means that the Barong Tagalog is a garment that everyone – expats included – should have at least one of in their wardrobe.

Buying a Barong Tagalog

When looking for a Barong Tagalog, cost, availability, and modern cleaning methods mean cotton barongs are most common. However, for formal occasions more traditional materials like Jusi, produced from banana fiber, were preferred. From the 1960s mechanically woven silks from China became the fabric of choice and the pure banana leaf Jusi fabric was no longer produced commercially until various modern fiber mixes became available.

While Jusi was a delicate material, the top of the range, most luxurious Barongs Tagalogs are made from piña – ultra fine pineapple fibers. The problem is that pure piña can only be hand woven slowly – with even the best weavers able to produce only a few inches of material per day, making it very expensive. A good compromise between quality and price is a Barong Tagalog made from piña seda. This combination of piña and silk thread vastly increases hand weaving speed, giving the same translucent luxury as ‘pure’ piña cloth, but much more durable and at a much lower price.

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