Trouser trauma
18/09/2008
An iconic element of Bavaria’s proud culture is under threat from cheap imported lederhosen and Dirndl dresses made in China, India and eastern Europe, heritage groups have warned ahead of the opening on September 19 of the Munich Oktoberfest, a famous festival that draws six million visitors each year.
The men’s short leather trousers and the women’s country dresses with frilly white blouses worn by many of the revellers at the festival are mere “pseudo folk costumes” that lack the quality of homemade garments, the Federation of Bavarian Folk Costume Societies said in the build-up tom this year’s event.
Shops in Munich have admitted that many of the outfits on sale are made from imported leather and fabrics, or are manufactured abroad to save costs.
Purists frown on these moves. “You can’t import local tradition,” said Hans Lehrer a spokesman for the federation. “Costumes should be manufactured where they’re worn. Local customs come from one’s homeland, and I’m against people wearing lederhosen from Romania just because they’re cheaper.”
Foreign-made lederhosen cost about €150, while a genuine pair of lederhosen, made by a local tailor, can easily cost more than €600 upwards. “But it will last you your whole life if you don’t get too fat,” Mr Lehrer continued. “It’s wonderful, like a second skin.”
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