Based on a collection of headgear from the four corners of the world, we are introduced to the ancient cultural and artistic richness of the most diverse peoples. The Kalpak collection takes you to many hidden corners on different continents. Over the centuries, people wore headgear for a variety of reasons. The meaning and importance of it was very different in all cultures, the shapes were also diverse: hats, caps, caps, diadems, veils, crowns, bandanas ... A headgear is usually part of an entire outfit, but it is the most dominating and typical part. It covers or protects the head, it says something about the person, about the group to which she / he belongs or about the position that she / he holds.
Initiates and adults, hunters and warriors, religious dignitaries, healers, rulers, unmarried girls, married women all wear their own distinctive headgear.
Previously, objects were classified according to the common characteristics with which peoples identify, such as kinship, nationality, religion, language, culture. But peoples are prone to culture exchange, influence each other and evolve - unless they remain completely cut off from the rest of the world. Extensive study today focuses on pre-colonial trade routes and uncovers early cultural exchanges and influence. Over the centuries, the trade and pilgrimage routes have continued to improve, making it easier to distribute materials and manufactured products around the world. Long before the arrival of the colonizer, for example, the use of cowrie shells from the East African coast and also from Venetian beads was widespread throughout Central Africa.
The headdresses are not only worn for aesthetic reasons but the different plants and animals have different physical characteristics and are therefore ideally suited to convey allegorical and metaphorical meanings, thereby also conveying philosophical and moral messages. Often the headdresses are a true reflection of their cultural environment.