A common sight on the streets of Kigali on a hot Sunday or Saturday afternoon is men in ripped jeans that expose their knees and bits of flesh strategically.The origin of ripped jeans is yet to be established but most of those who prefer them say it is because they give them the look of a rebel.Few buy ripped pants; they instead use a needle to make an old pair of jeans look trendy by ripping out some of the fabric.The creativity is to be admired but at times it is taken too far when overdone. Having more than half the pants ripped ceases to be creative and one could mistake them for poor people who can’t save enough to buy a new pair of pants.It is cool to have a little part of your pants ripped but not half of your leg showing through the pants. It is cool to have a pair or two of ripped jeans but not all your pairs. It should never be a signature statement.Most of the lovers of ripped jeans double as fans of tight pants. With a combination of the two (tight pants and ripped jeans), one could easily be confused to be swinging the other way (homosexual).Though there are never rules to go about when opting for a ripped pair, moderation should be observed as there is not much to be desired in men who show flesh.Ripped jeans should also never be worn over formal shirts. They are strictly weekend wear and should never become a signature trademark.One way to make it look trendy is having the ripped parts patched with pieces of African print material. This will give it an afro-centric look. There are no designers in town who do it but with instructions, your local tailor can actually get it right.But as a general rule, ripped jeans should be strictly blue or grey; coloured pants are never good candidates to ‘rip’.
