Figure 1.--Many German boys through the 1970s commonly wore lederhosen for play and leisure. A decade earlier even oler boys might have worn them for leasure..

The image of lederhosen have changed over time. I think that at first lederhosen were considered primarily a work or outdoor activity garment. They were worn by men and boys in the Bavarian country side in the days before work clothes like dungarees or jeans existed. By the late 19th and early 20th century they had become Bavarian folk costume. Youth groups like Wandervogel found them wonderfully practical for hiking and camping. They were also worn by boys in other youth groups like the Scouts and Hiter Youth. Boys began wearing them to school. They were also ideal play clothes. Lederhosen were, however, not just casual clothes. Many boys would wear them for dress occasions, usually with Bavarian style jackets. They were particularly popular after World War II through the 1970s. By the 1980s, they declined in popularity and are now mostly worn by Scouts or for folk occassions.

Work Garments

I think that at first lederhosen were considered primarily a work or n outdoor activity garment. They were worn by men and boys in the Bavarian country side in the days before work clothes like dungarees or jeans existed.

Boys' Wear

Lederhosen were not initially, nor have they ever been an exclusively boys' garment. The garment was at first conceived as work attire and then became seen as folk dress. In the early 20th century two developments affected the popularity of lederhosen. Youth groups began to form. The most popular was the Wandervogel. While many Wandervogel wore corduroy shorts--lederhosen were also worn. Lederhosen were both practical and appealed to the Wandervogel interest in folk culture. The Wanndervogel was primarily for older boys. Other youth groups formed, such as the Scouts. Some of the boys wore lederhosen--although they were not the official uniform. Once Lederhosen became an accepted folk dress then they were adopted by ultra-nationalists. It was probably at this time that some younger German boys began wearing lederhosen. Until then they have a rather rough outdoor image that were more suiable for men and older boys. They become more associated with boys aftter World War II. We see many impages of German boys, and not just in Bavaria, wearing Lederhosen as casual clothes after the War in the 1940s-60s. With the popularity of jeans they again began to seen more as folk dress.

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Created: April 7, 2001
Last updated: 12:30 AM 6/21/2005