Fashion tells the world who we are without uttering a word

   The Maasai , Turkana and the Samburu tribes are one of the most authentic fashion trendsetters in Kenya. 
  A few communities in North-Western Kenya are still clinging to their traditions of wearing red kilts and lesos. 
 While this is a very marketable feature overseas , sadly most Kenyans including myself are straying from indigenous fashion.




 
 This is due to a number of reasons:

Colonization of the mind:  
When most Kenyans were colonized by the British many of them adopted an assimilation system , abandoning their traditional attire for trousers and skirts. Even after Kenya attained independence in 1963 , they never looked back and saw the Western model of civilization and the future , losing cultural credibility and identity. When I look around and see the Maasai living their lives exactly as their fore-fathers did 100 years ago , I'm always puzzled wondering when they will integrate into the system like the rest of us. At this age , I'm glad they didn't they are one of the few surviving tribes that are preserving African heritage.
 
Drastic fashion passes:  
I'm talking about being topless! In my community women wore leather skirts made from cow hide , accessories and nothing else. I hardly think , I would be comfortable walking around with my bare breasts. Although let's be honest with the amount of cleavage in Nairobi ... Our ancestors saw no perversity in bare breasts  they were viewed primarily for the sustainability of their offspring. 




Local designers are expensive:  
To buy a genuine African outfit from a local designer ranges from 5,000kshs or more. Through no fault of their own due to the many expenses incurred and the time. While mtumba or mtush offers clothes ranging from 100kshs , it is easy to see why many of us do not go for the former.

Modernization:  
Due to exposure to western programs and content we have all develop tastes that range from there. The Internet has  made this globalization trend even more realistic and accessible. Programs such as the OC , Gossip Girl , Sex and the City which we've all been exposed to at an early age has had us emulating like drones. The rapid spread of these tv shows is proving to be more of a disruption to traditional social structures than an agent of progress.We all know about the French , Italian and American designers we hear about and admire , Coco Chanel anyone?

"The rapid spread of these tv shows is proving to be more of a disruption to traditional social structures than an agent of progress."

The Kenyan Fashion Scene is growing and people are actually beginning to buy clothes from local designers. 
One of my favourite designers is Seraphina from Aphina fashions who has been a designer for almost 15years and is now being discovered in the mainstream fashion cycle.

This Blog is about :

 Appreciating our Kenyan roots no matter which tribe we come from , we are all Kenyan and more importantly we are all African. 

Like the song says : It's time for Africa. We have a lot of beauty , art , scenery in our native lands we shouldn't have to try to be something we are not. That is not to say that we should ignore other cultures , let them influence us , but let us remain with our little quirks and gimmicks that we have had for generations. 

Fashion tells the world who we are without uttering a word ...