[DEEP DIVE] SARROUEL PANT

Welcome back to "DEEP DIVE," where we look into the inspiration behind some of our favorite Engineered Garments pieces. In this installation, we are featuring the "Sarrouel Pants," a new, ultra-wide pant. 

The Sarrouel Pant is loose above the knees and features a deep hanging inseam full waist, complemented by a dramatically high rise and tight taper near the hem. Sarouel pants are a quintessential piece of folk garb with a history that spans thousands of years. The style originated in the pre-Hellenic Balkans, among the Samaritans and Scythians, ancient peoples who resided in the Levant and Central Asia. 1st Century Greek orator and historian Dio Chrysostom and Roman wrote of the  "spacious trousers" these groups wore. 

The name sarrouel derives from either the Arabic sirwāl or Persian šalvâr. The expansion of Islamic culture during the 6th and 7th centuries brought further attention to this style, with cultures across the Middle East and Northern Africa adopting the design, often crafted from luxurious fabrics like satin, damask, velvet, and taffeta. Favored for its comfort and wide range of motion, examples of the style also drifted to Europe. In Spain, there are the Andalusian "zaragüelles," a remnant from the Al-Andalus, the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula, while "sharovary" became the national clothes of Ukranian Cossacks. Even in the United States Civil War, the 11th New York Infantry - called the New York Fire Zouaves - wore these pants. 

Following a brief stint as a symbol of feminist freedom in the mid 19th Century (known as the bloomer craze), the sarrouel pants returned to vogue during the 1970s. Engineered Garments' designer Daiki Suzuki recalls seeing them featured in New York magazines and seeing pairs created by late Comme des Garcons designer Fumito Ganryu on the streets of Tokyo. Though Daiki didn't consider integrating them into his wardrobe, the trousers' proportions and dramatic style intrigued him, especially when paired with a simple top. 

MC Hammer made the style a permanent fixture in pop culture. While frequenting discos in the late 1970s, he started wearing pants to bring attention to his moves on the dance floor. After transitioning to music, the pants became his signature look, appearing in his music videos and thrilling the American public. As with many booms, popularity faded quickly, and the sarrouel pant soon fell out of fashion. 

 

Daiki was attracted to the sarrouel's rich history and striking appearance and revived the item for the SS23 season. The Engineered Garments Sarrouel Pant retains the traditional high rise and tapered leg. The conventional three-piece construction method on the pant's front - historically employed to maximize the fabric yield - is an aesthetic homage. At the same time, an elastic waistband creates a series of natural gathers. Finally, there is a slew of trademark Engineered Garments details, including the button-close waist, zipper fly, and rear back pockets. 

The Sarrouel Pants are a quintessential piece of folk wear used by countless cultures across the globe. Engineered Garments capitalizes on the style's inherent mutability, reviving it within the colorful universality of the Spring Summer 2023 collection. 

    

The Sarrouel Pant is available in the following fabrics:

Multi Color Cotton Oxford Plaid

Black Flight Satin Nylon

Navy Seersucker Stripe

Olive Cotton Sheeting

Yellow Cotton Sheeting

Rust Cotton Sheeting

Available in-store and online at nepenthesny.com