Timeless Filipino Tradition

Barong Tagalog or Barong is an embroidered formal garment of the Philippines. It is very lightweight and worn untucked, similar to a coat. It is the common wedding and formal attire for Filipino men. The term "Sarong Tagalog"  means "Tagalog dress" i.e Baro ng Tagalog or dress of the Tagalog.

The Barong was popularized as formal wear by Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay, who wore it to most official and personal affairs, including his inauguration aspresident. The Barong was officially made costume by a decree from President Ferdinand Marcos in 1975.

Most Barong are made of pins cloth (from pineapple) of Jusi Fabric. Jusi Fabric was once made from abaca or banana silk, but since 1960's, it has been replaced by imported silk organza. The embroideries can be made by hand or produced by machine. Pineapple, silk or cotton threads are used. Handcrafted embroideries are more expensive, because they need a lot of work. So a high quality Barong embroidered gorgeously on the front pattern can be multi coloured, geometrically-abstract (dices, squares, triangles, lines, etc.) or figurative.

'Baro' = a tagalog dialect , word for 'dress' in the Philippines.
'Baro ng Tagalog' = 'dress of the Tagalog' describes the formal 'dress' or upper garment for men in the Philippines.
'Barong' = literally means 'dress of' - but commonly used to refer to the formal men's wear in the Philippines.