Life is an occasion. Dress like it—so believes Maria Raveendran, a Toronto-based artist and researcher. Not all occasions are the same. Wearing a goth outfit to an all-white wedding would be impractical, not to mention conspicuous. Dressing up for life’s occasions is self-expression with intent, especially during protests. In such moments, fashion becomes personal, collective, and political; it speaks volumes without moving a lip.

Clothes are portraits of confidence. And when Kenya is the enemy of its own rules, when the guarantees in its constitution—freedom of speech, rights to assembly, and protest—are mere typographical beauty, clothes become armour for people’s bodies, beliefs, and rights. It’s a tragic irony that peaceful protests have become death cards, with most since 1990 ending in lives lost to police brutality. In the face of state-imposed fear and intimidation, fashion offers a voice to the protester. It takes on a new role: an expression of personal identity, giving its wearer the confidence to speak their mind.

T-shirts represent this confidence. Printed with the names of police brutality victims, clenched fists holding the Kenyan flag, and daring slogans aimed at the government, they aren’t just aesthetic choices; they embody the principle of enclothed cognition. This theory suggests that the symbolic nature of clothes influences how people think, feel, and act.

In protests, clothing like t-shirts boosts confidence through solidarity and affirms purpose. Most Kenyans show up to demonstrations in casual wear—denim jeans, shorts, and hoodies—deliberately reflecting the average Kenyan in their most genuine state. As they march, they become one with the message their clothes carry, projecting their identity with a boldness that eclipses even Futura, all in a peaceful demand for change.

Clothes are a gesture of defiance. Fashion movements like ’70s Punk and Isikhothane (from early 2010s South Africa) were born out of the urge to kick over the traces of cultural and societal norms. Although fashion’s role in the 2024 anti-finance bill protests was overlooked in mainstream discussions, its impact was massive. In huge numbers, Gen Z used their voices and fashion to cut the puppeteers’ strings that had long disrupted democracy.

Bandanas and balaclavas safeguarded them from tear gas and concealed their identities in the face of abductions. Bold t-shirts with hashtags carried creative messages that expressed their brassy nature. Fashion gave them space and an ounce of freedom to push back against the state and its tyrannical bill.

Even without saying a word, clothes speak a silent language unlimited by its reach. They carry stories bearing memories and messages marked by times and events. The choice of every texture, print, or embroidery contains details that combine into larger memories, making garments a source of hours of historical lectures. Shirt prints help the victims’ names and struggles live on, reminding the country of the extrajudicial killings. Draping flags as capes symbolises not only a deep love for the country but also a protest against the government’s failure to provide financial and social protection.

Fashion is layered during protests, and the risk of misinterpretation is as real as the state’s response to dissent. The 2024 anti-finance bill protests—popularly labelled as the Gen Z protests—were quickly depoliticised by some members of parliament. Their claim? It was flashy, performative, and driven by clout. Their remarks targeted the protesters’ style, which was deeply rooted in generational identity. In doing so, those narratives stripped fashion of its political weight, erasing meaning by disconnecting it from the context of protest.

The Kenyan society often views fashion as impractical and frivolous. Yet in protests, clothes are handy tools for voice, self-expression, and resistance. They allow people to morph their bodies into sites of protest, making their message reach the state, the media, the public, and one another.

Dressing freely at a protest is more than breaking the rules—it’s about using what you wear, whether casually or through cosplay, to respond, reflect, and empower both the cause and the people around you.