Chaotic Costumes, Miss Cambodia Responds To Criticism About National Clothing Similar To Thailand

Phorn Sreypii, Miss Cosmo Cambodia 2025 (Photo: Instagram/@sreypii_phorn)

JAKARTA - A Cambodian beauty queen gave a lengthy explanation of the origins of the country's national fashion history, after its resemblance to traditional Thai clothing sparked new debate among fans of cross-border beauty events.

Reporting from The Thaiger page, Phorn Sreypii, Miss Cosmo Cambodia 2025 shared a fairly detailed upload on Facebook. This step was taken after Thai netizens questioned the origin of the royal-style clothing worn.

Through his explanation, Sreypii tried to place the costume in the lineage of Cambodian culture itself, as well as explaining how the style developed from palace tradition to modern symbols that people can now wear in general.

This debate arose amid the hot world climate pageant due to other controversies that had occurred before. Miss Charm Cambodia had drawn criticism for using the slogan Land of Smiles in its introductory video. The incident had already sparked friction in cyberspace between supporters from the two countries, before the issue of national clothing resurfaced.

In his statement, Sreypii emphasized that clothing is worn with a strong root in the history of the Cambodian kingdom. He called the Queen of the Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk an important figure in the preservation and reintroducement of the fashion style.

According to him, Queen Ibu revived the traditional royal dress look in the 1960s, especially for important state events.

Sreypii said clothes were used on various official occasions such as the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, as well as in a documentary performance with her husband, the late King Norodom Sihanouk.

He also explained the details of the outfit. This set of clothing consists of a braided front skirt called somloy, a deep chili coating sandwiched on the shoulder, as well as an outer saddle decorated with a gold thread with a complicated motif. According to Sreypii, this fashion format can be traced to the pre-Angkor and Angkor periods, so that it is part of the continuity of the length of Cambodian royal clothing, not today's creation.

Initially this fashion style was only worn by the Khmer royal family. But over time, its use began to spread. Sreypii said that during the Oudong era, a royal decision gave permission to the general public to imitate royal clothing, especially in wedding ceremonies. This is an important turning point in the adoption of this tradition in public spaces

Now the dress has grown into modern Cambodian national clothing. Sreypii said the style was widely used in weddings, religious ceremonies, and international events. By emphasizing cultural continuity, he emphasized that his goal is to defend the rights of the people of Khmer to wear their own cultural heritage, inspired by Queen Ibu's efforts to maintain and promote these traditions.