Mzansi's kasi fashion

Kasi fashion has taken the world by storm, from the Sbujwa, Pantsula, Vintage wear and others. Kasi fashion is the in- thing these days. Kasi designers design new and extremely fashionable clothing now and then.

Kasi fashion originates in the South African townships. Kasi designers take what is seen as ugly and turn it into sassy and classy clothing, what is seen as old and out of fashion, and turn it into new and fashionable items.

Kasi fashion is not just about the unique clothing and hairdos, it is  about style, it is culture- kasi culture. The Izikhothane' multicoloured trousers and t-shirts, the mismatched shoes, branded shoes and their bright coloured clothes, tells a story about who they are. Amabujwa, who's sense of fashion is regarded as one of the best, their fashion also tells a story. The Vintage clothing which the elderly used to wear in the olden days, dresses the kasi youth in style and it also tell it's own story.
Kasi youth host social market events every season, which are events were they showcase their sense of fashion. The designers also get to advertise their brands and new designs. In this way kasi fashion shall live on.

Has tradition been turned into business?

Initiation schools has been part of many South Africans lives for decades and decades. African tradition seems to have been turned into a circus, where you find a 19 year old boy leading an initiation school.

According to tradition, initiations schools were created to train young men and/or boys how to become real men. Boys were taught how to treat women and how to handle matters in a masculine manner. A person would tell the difference between a boy and/or a young man who went to initiation school and the one who didn't undergo the initiation school process. A person would tell the difference in terms how they handle themselves, how they handle matters and in terms of respect for both elderly and young people.

In Gauteng province, there are many illegal initiation schools. Most of the boys and/or young men who attend the Gauteng initiation schools, they return home smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol and disrespectful. The boys and/or young men are told that they are men and that they should not take anyone's opinion, instead they should put their opinions and feelings first.

The reason why these illegal initiation schools exist is because, the boys and/or young men's parents pay the initiation schools leaders money when their children are in the bush and when they return home. In other words they sponsor the initiation schools indirectly. Due to initiation schools leader's lack of knowledge, majority of the young men and/or boys lose their lives in the bush. They do not get proper medical care and they are initiated by people who do not have knowledge about the initiations schools. This goes back to what was asked before, 'has tradition been turned into business?