Tamang Topi in Tash Kuchin Brocade for Men and Women

The Tamang cap, syade in the Tamang language, is one of the few Himalayan topis that men and women wear alike. Its signature is the rim: bands of red, white, blue, green and yellow running around the base under a brocade crown. Tamang families in Nepal, Darjeeling and Sikkim bring it out for Sonam Lhosar, for weddings and for monastery days, and children wear the same cap in a smaller size.

The crown and sides are Tash Kuchin, the figured brocade the Tamang keep for their best dress, so the florals shimmer as the cap turns. The square panel on the top is worked in contrasting thread and framed by the brocade on all four sides, and the striped rim stands slightly proud of the body, which is how the syade is recognised from across a courtyard. The crown is stiffened to hold its round shape and sits low on the head.

Women wear it with a bakhu and men with the Tamang shirt and vest at Sonam Lhosar, the Tamang new year in January or February; it belongs with our Nepali topi range for men and women. For a taller, dressier cap in velvet, see the embroidered velvet Tamang topi for men. Each cap is stitched for Bhutib in the Eastern Himalayan hills.

Questions buyers ask

Is the Tamang topi for men or women? Both. The syade is a unisex cap, and the same piece is worn by men and women of all ages.

What is the striped band at the base? It is the traditional rim of the Tamang cap, five bands of colour sewn as a separate ring under the brocade crown. It is the detail that marks the cap as Tamang.

Which festival is it worn for? Sonam Lhosar, the Tamang new year, which falls in January or February, and for weddings and monastery days through the year.