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Abstract

The idea of this issue of Folklore: EJF emerged from the panel we organised on behalf of the Working Group on the The Ritual Year at the 12th Congress of the Société Internationale d'Ethnologie et de Folklore (SIEF) held in Zagreb, Croatia, in June 2015. 1 We concentrated on the calendric and life cycle usage of the traditional garments and their parts, and we also followed, as much as possible, the new development trends and even the expansion of authentic clothes. Folk costumes are amongst the most topical and discussed issues in historical and contemporary folklore studies, ethnology, and cultural anthropology, and remain important for many people in many countries. The bibliography on costumes is vast, and it includes huge academic volumes, albums, and articles. Moreover, academic, popular, political, and commercial interest in the garments and their accessories continues to grow. The old pieces of traditional clothes and their replicas are being sought by museums and private collections, for cultural performances, and occasionally they are sold in flea markets, as we saw in Zagreb. During the past decade, we have witnessed the growth of a number of conferences, 2 publications and discussions on folk costumes (