The Swenkas – All about our very own inspiring African dandies…

One late night at the Power & The Glory in Kloof, whilst nursing a glass of lovely savignon blanc, I got into a fascinating conversation with an old mate. Dali, began telling me the story of a South African subculture that up until that point had been completely under my radar (I had never even heard of them) – “The Swenkas”… The more Dali talked about them, the more my interest was piqued and I knew I had to see what these men looked like and know more about them. I’ve spent a week researching these ” African Dandies”, and they and their counterparts in Congo, will be the focus of my posts this week.

The first bit of information that I came across was a film by director Jeppe Ronde called “The Swenkas” (the images above are taken from the film) and you can see the 10 minute trailer of the film here. I also stumbled across a post by Barima who writes a blog called Mode Parade and who I don’t think would mind being referred to as an English dandy; I agree with his thoughts about the Swenkas being a “more charismatic movement” than the Congolese Sapeurs.

The history of this group of men, is the history of many migrant labourers who during Apartheid flocked to the urban areas in search of work… Most arrived in Johannesburg to become workers in the mines, returning maybe only once or twice a year to their homes and families. For these trips home they would often buy special new suits to impress their relations and neighbours and from this was borne the practice of “swenking”. “Swenking” is a competition between working class men to see who can put together the most stylish outfit and move the best in it. To compete you must pay a door fee and the winner of the competition gets a cut of this fee as a cash prize.

Often one suit amounts to a substantial portion of a worker’s yearly wage and are put on lay-by; being paid off in small amounts over months and dreamed about all the while. When I think about the situation of these migrant workers from yesterday and the men of today who carry on the tradition in the townships, I am reminded of an extremely fitting quote by Bill Cunningham: “Fashion is the armour to survive everyday life”…

When your life is largely back-breaking work in hot, stifling holes deep beneath the earth, where personal grooming is something forsook and every night you return to cramped, shared and meagre sleeping quarters, when you have nothing but a few earthly possessions and you are far away from your loved ones, then life would surely be unbearable if there wasn’t a reprieve to this harsh reality. If these competitions and the act of dressing up and getting together every weekend with friends and enjoying yourself in a moment of escapism didn’t offer a brief respite from all of this, then how would you face that reality? How would you keep returning to this reality week in and week out if not for fashion and the light it offers at the end of that tunnel?

I myself struggle at times with the bane and trivial nature of the fashion industry, but actually when I discover stories like these I remember that sometimes it’s the very essence of fashion that makes life worth living and it’s such an innately human and necessary means of self-expressionism and actualization that can be harnessed by anyone. It’s why I am a true believer in the Psychology of Cloth…

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