Elephant pants are a style of loose-fitting

trousers Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants ( American, Canadian and Australian English) are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending ...

made of a light-weight fabric featuring printed

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

patterns. They are mainly sold in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, and have mostly been associated with backpackers, but since 2022 they have also seen a surge in popularity among local Thais.

History

The origins of elephant pants are poorly documented, though they were already common in 2013, when

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

-based Chinrada Garment, one of the item's largest manufacturers, began producing them. Although they are not traditional and were not worn by locals, they gained popularity among foreign tourists, who perceived them as an authentic experience. They became widely sold in tourist areas such as

Khaosan Road Khaosan Road or Khao San Road (, , ) is a short street in central Bangkok, Thailand. It is in length and was constructed in 1892 during the reign of Rama V. It is in the Bang Lamphu area of Phra Nakhon District about north of the Grand Palace ...

, as well as near major tourist attractions such as the

Grand Palace The Grand Palace (, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. . ) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the officia ...

and Buddhist temples, where they served as a convenient way to meet dress code requirements. By the late 2010s, elephant pants had become a stereotype of backpackers travelling in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
Also available as The popularity of elephant pants briefly caught attention among Thais in 2019, when several

K-pop K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...

idols were seen wearing them. Following a lull due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they saw a resurgence in 2022, with their use by celebrities as well as viral trends on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

driving their popularity among young Thais. Further promotion by Thai social media

influencer A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...

s led to elephant pants becoming a major fashion trend in 2023, with high-end brands also producing luxury counterparts, and manufacturers also began creating other garments featuring the patterns. Local manufacturers latched onto the trend, producing patterns showcasing their province's icons, and the government also promoted them as part of its soft power policy. In early 2024, concerns over lower-quality Chinese-made items flooding the market led to widespread public debate over intellectual property protection.

Description

Elephant pants are made of a light fabric, typically spun rayon or a polyester blend known in Thai as "Italian silk", printed with monochromatic patterns (most often black and white, but also other colours) featuring elephants. They are wide-legged and loose-fitting, with an elastic waistband, and often also feature elastic hems at the ankles, making them similar in shape to

harem pants Harem pants or harem trousers are baggy, long trousers, pants caught in at the ankle. Early on, the style was also called a harem skirt. Inspired by Middle East clothing styles, especially şalvar (Turkish trousers), so-called 'harem pants/skirts' ...

References

{{reflist Trousers and shorts Thai clothing Thai fashion Backpacking Elephants in culture Elephants in Thailand