• The Mandarin term “纱笼” is a transliteration of the Malay word sarong.
• It can also be written as “沙龙”, “沙笼”, “莎笼”, “纱囊”, “沙囊” and “沙郎”.
• It is believed that the original meaning of sarong in Malay was “to cover”. In Malay, the earliest word that refers to a long piece of cloth used to wrap around the body is kain. Only from the early 19th century was the term sarong used to refer to this style of clothing.
• The sarong can be paired with an upper garment called a kebaya. This ensemble is known as a sarong kebaya. The sarong kebaya worn by the female flight attendants of Singapore Airlines was designed by the Parisian fashion designer Pierre Balmain for the Malaysia-Singapore Airlines in 1968. In 1972, although the airline was split into Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, the sarong kebaya remained as the uniform for Singapore Airlines’ female flight attendants and has since become a national icon.

Clad in sarongs, the satay men carried their stalls around with them on a long pole slung over their shoulders. Their customers would sit on low stools around a pot of satay sauce, sharing it with strangers. This was a common sight at that time. (Lianhe Zaobao, 18/7/2019)

沙龙 (Malaysia, Thailand), 沙笼 (Malaysia, Thailand), 沙隆 (Thailand), 莎笼 (Mainland China), 萨龙 (Mainland China)

• Apart from being worn, the sarong can also be used for other purposes, for example as a bag or a baby’s cradle.