Salwar kameez dates back to the 12th century since of Islamic or the Iranian era which was then followed by the Mughal empire in the region called now as India and Pakistan.

During those days, men and women both were used to wear salwar kameez as part of the traditional dress but over the years Salwar Kameez has found its popularity in India and Pakistan and the salwar kameez is still worn in the continent.

Salwar kameez is also known as salwar qameez and has evolved itself over the centuries in a mix of Indian and western wear.

Salwar Kameez is popular as its comfortable to wear in day to day casual wear and also in wedding, functions and ceremonies. Salwar Kameez is made in various fabrics like Georgette salwar kameez, chiffon salwar kameez, net salwar kameez, satin salwar kameez, cotton salwar kameez, silk salwar kameez and various other fabrics including the latest trend of fusion fabrics which is mix of the above and synthetic fabric.

The Salwar Kameez has transformed itself over many years into various style, designs and cuts so even the name has seen lot of variation over the decades. While the Salwar Qameez originated during the Moghul Empire when Urdu was the commonly spoken language of the era. But over the years Hindi as Urdu became less common and Hindi language became the common language of the present era salwar kameez original name came.

Although In Pakistan where Urdu is still commonly used its still known as salwar qameez or shalwar but in India and Punjab region of Pakistan its known as Salwar Kameez.

The salwar kameez can be further categorized into:

1.Patiala Salwar Kameez - Patiala Salwar Kameez as the name suggests comes from Patiala in the State of Punjab in Northern India. The King of Patiala in earlier times had its Royal dress as Salwar Kameez or Salwar Qameez. The salwar kameez has loose lowers as salwar and long knee length top know as kameez. Now the dress is not worn by men but has classically transformed itself with new cuts and styling into women's salwar kameez.

2.Churidar Salwar Kameez – Churidar Salwar Kameez is known for its sleek looks. Churidar Salwar Kameez is preferred by lot of females as it looks elegant and gives shape to the body. This salwar kameez has body hugging salwar which is tightly gripped to the body like a stocking its comfortable to wear and is very narrow around the ankle area.

3.Cotton Salwar Kameez - The cotton salwar kameez comes in various fabrics like South cotton, blend of cotton and silk and pure cotton.. Due to high production of cotton which is comfortable fabric in the Indian and Pakistani region due to its wearibility in summers.

4.Designer Salwar Kameez - A designer Salwar kameez is made by a fashion designer and normally has lot of hand embroidery work which is done in pearls, stones, beads and sequins. Although every designer has its own approach while designing a salwar kameez the basics still remains the same. The designer is known to give various cuts and styles around the neck, sleeves, kameez and churidar of a salwar kameez which can change the complete look of the salwar kameez.

5.Printed Salwar Kameez - These are called Printed salwar kameez as they are machine or digitally printed on all kinds of fabric like Georgette, crepe, cotton, chiffon and other materials. The Printed Salwar Kameez has a very wide range of designs from flowers to polka-dot to abstract to other prints. The latest in fashion are the digital prints on the printed salwar kameez which include variety of colors.

6.Punjabi Salwar Kameez - Punjabi salwar kameez, the name comes from Punjab an Indian state in the north western region of India. This salwar kameez is worn in Punjab are also known as Punjabi salwar kameez. Punjabi women are very fond of bright colors and wear bright colored Salwar kameez and dupatta. The Punjabi suit consists of an upper known as Kameez, Dupatta which is a piece of cloth worn around the neck and lower known as salwar. The Salwar is comfortably loose around the waist till the ankle making it a very comfortable dress. The bright printed colors or heavy embroidery of stones, sequins and beads is a must on a Punjabi suit.

7.Silk Salwar Kameez - The Silk Salwar Kameez is never out of fashion as its the fabric for special occasion like wedding, ceremonies, party or even get to gathers. The silk salwar kameez gives a very rich look to the dress due to its shine. The silk used in salwar kameez has started coming in various combinations besides pure silk like Chiffon silk, pure silk, satin silk, paper silk, crepe silk and tussar silk.

8.Wedding Salwar Kameez - Wedding Salwar Kameez are heavy salwar kameez which means they have lot of hand embroidery all over salwar kameez including the kameez, salwar and the sleeves. The work is mainly of beads, sequin and stones. The work is similar to jaal work or is completely filled up. One wedding salwar kameez takes many days of a hand embroidery person to make as the work is so detailed and intrinsic. The wedding salwar kameez gets the name not only due to the hand work involved in it, but also due to its heavy work it can be worn in wedding and other functions.

9.Bridal Salwar Kameez - The bridal salwar kameez is worn by a bride on her wedding day or prior to the wedding day on a ceremony. This salwar kameez is normally in pink or red color due to the auspicious occasion. The salwar kameez is heavily done up with hand embroidered work in stones and other material.