Kenya Clothing Wear
It’s quite difficult to believe that there is national Kenya clothing; this is because Kenya as a country consists of over 70 ethnic groups of which each has its own traditional dress code. Many Kenyans dress more in the western style although those who live along the coast for instance the Mombasa or Lamu who are known to be Muslims dress in Arabic style.
During the international forums, the Kenyans were supposed to represent their country; unfortunately they failed to choose original Kenya clothing and just ended up putting on the traditional Nigerian clothes which appeared quite embarrassing.Designers such as Kadenge and Margaret Akumu have been working so hard to create a national dress code. In 1980s, Mrs Gould
organized the first National Dress Competition unfortunately, she didn’t get enough support. Although all this happened, she never gave up; she instead teamed up with the Kenya Tourism Foundation (KTF) along with the ministry of culture and social services. She had a belief that her organizations would help her promote her idea of having a national dress for national unity as well as PR Purposes.
Traditional tribal dress
The most interesting aspect about Kenya is that different tribes have their own way of dressing and life style. The maasai people are well known for their great attire furthermore the Samburu are also related to the maasai as well as the Turkana peoples. who settle in the north. Modernity has also brought some changes for example a traditionally dressed warrior endeavors to carry a watch and a cell phone just to be prepared to receive tourists. The Kikuyu from the highlands has drastically adapted to the western life style, more still the Akamba from the east of Nairobi as well as the luo from the west. There is something very important to consider that is to say that the Kikiyu and the Luo are the main leading tribes, they are known to have the biggest political in addition to economic influence in the country.
Maasai women are easily identified due to the fact that they normally put on vest plate-like bead necklaces matched with colorful wraps known as Kanga. The men are prominent for putting on red-checked shuka along that, carry a unique ball-end club. To the maasai, red is such an important color and it simply stands for power. Their foot wear is mainly sandals and these are sometimes soled with pieces of motorcycle tires. In their culture, it’s believed that for any man to become a warrior, he has to be 14 of age and these traditionally have to dye their hair red with ochre and fat.
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