Sharing a piece of Kenya clothing with you. Kenya is yet to have a national dress that cuts across its diverse distinct cultural identities, dialects as well as traditions. Each of the more than 42 ethnic communities in Kenya has its own traditional practices and symbols that make it unique. The popular clothes that cut across all the Kenyan tribes are the Kikoi, Kanga, and Kitenge.
Kanga is clothing used in almost all Kenyan households and is much more than a clothing piece, it can be used as a skirt, head-wrap, apron, pot-holder, towel, baby carrier. It has multi-colored designs with a message featured on a strip making it a communication vehicle. Messages are often in the form of riddles or proverbs which are educative in Swahili and English. They are often given as gifts on special occasions and one must be mindful of the proverb featured.
Kitenges are similar to Kangas and serve the same purpose but are a more formal fabric used for nice clothing, they are thicker and have an edging on the long side often decorated with a huge variety of colors, patterns, and even political slogans. They are also used to make contemporary clothing serving as material for shirts, dresses, and pants as well as accessories where all genders wear the Kitenge for special occasions.
Kikoi a large tube length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist is as well popular among the Kenyan people It is commonly used as a beach wrap, headgear, table cloth, scarf, shawl, and a picnic blanket.
