
Commentaries | Sep 30,2023
Dec 25 , 2021
By Kidist Yidnekachew
Whenever I find myself worrying about what to wear, Khalil Gibran’s quote on clothes comes to my mind. In his book The Prophet, he describes it this way:
“Your clothes conceal much of your beauty, yet they hide not the unbeautiful. And though you seek in garments the freedom of privacy, you may find in them a harness and a chain.”
Clothes cover but at the same time reveal our bodies perfectly by not exposing our privates and by extenuating what is meant to be seen. We often talk about having the freedom to dress and express ourselves through clothing, but we are also oblivious to how our choices define us.
The same applies to Ethiopia, where people are terrible at following appropriate weather clothing. We could find them walking around wearing a snow coat and big boots in the middle of a hot afternoon. They do not seem bothered by the burning sunlight. They just go about their way without taking off either their coat or one of the layers of clothes they wear inside.
Maybe these people left their homes early or planned to stay up late and left their house prepared for the cold and wind, but what about the heat?
Better hot than cold perhaps for these people. It is mostly women I see with this problem. Men dress pretty much the same in all seasons, although it is common to see men walking around with leather jackets at midday.
I often witness women wearing boots to their knees in the sun. I love boots too, but most are only made for cold seasons. I am guilty of wearing boots all season long too. On the other spectrum of society, we find some folks dressed up in breezy hot weather outfits with short dresses and tops in the middle of kiremt, the rainy season.
And what is it with wearing flip flops in the rain?
Part of the dissonance could be explained due to income. Many people in Ethiopia do not have the luxury of buying, for instance, clothes for the rainy season only to stow them away for the next nine months. If this is the case, then it is hard to blame them for the prices of clothes getting out of hand, especially those considered luxury.
Just the other day, I was surfing through one of the shopping channels on Telegram and what I saw caught my eyes and left me in awe.
Who would spend over 8,000 Br on three pyjamas?
It is insane. Later I was talking with my friend and she was telling me about a person that spent 15,000 Br on shoes and somebody else that spent 25,000 Br on clothes. Most of these items could be well-known brands, but it is hard to believe that they are worth that much, especially in a country where people fight to eat twice a day. Is paying that much on clothes fair? And why did the price of clothes skyrocket when the intrinsic value of luxury brands is virtually inexistent?
It is important in a sense it helps one draw attention to themselves and makes them feel confident. But spending that much on something we do not need is just ridiculous. Then again, we live in a material world.
Here is a word to the wise. There are these things called second-hand clothes. Not only are they better than some new clothes, but they are also unique, and the chances of us running into someone who is wearing the same outfit as us on the road is rare. Here is the best part - they are ridiculously cheap. And in countries like Denmark, people exchange the clothes they wore not to spend money on new ones and it is not like these people cannot afford it, but they know it is not worth spending money over. Do not be embarrassed to assess the market. Buying second-hand clothes does not make us appear any less classy.
PUBLISHED ON
Dec 25,2021 [ VOL
22 , NO
1130]
Commentaries | Sep 30,2023
My Opinion | Mar 06,2021
Life Matters | Apr 26,2019
View From Arada | Mar 27,2021
Viewpoints | Mar 13,2021
Life Matters | Feb 22,2020
Sunday with Eden | Nov 20,2021
Radar | May 25,2019
Commentaries | Jun 18,2022
Covid-19 | Feb 13,2021
Photo Gallery | 83301 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 75466 Views | Apr 26,2019
Fineline | 58859 Views | Oct 03,2020
Fortune News | 58593 Views | Jul 18,2020
Dec 24 , 2022
Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...
Jul 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
Nov 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
Nov 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
Dec 9 , 2023
Making a paradigm shift seems elusive for those in the driving seat of Ethiopia's mon...
Dec 2 , 2023
The symphony of traffic noise in Addis Abeba is not just a sign of life, but a siren...
Nov 25 , 2023
Ethiopia's quest to develop a functioning capital market is a demanding yet not unach...
Nov 18 , 2023
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) has made a fervent call for landlocked Ethiopia to ga...
Dec 9 , 2023 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
Amhara Bank finds itself embroiled in a detrimental controversy after its Board Chair...
Dec 9 , 2023 . By AKSAH ITALO
Moha Softdrink Industries S.C., Ethiopia's leading beverage bottler, is in a precarious situation after seeing its founding General Manager...
Dec 9 , 2023 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
The Addis Abeba City Administration officials have sanctioned plot allotments for various developers, com...
Dec 9 , 2023 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
Ethiopia's manufacturing sector remains in a tangled web of macroeconomic pressures, security challenges...