Summertime is such a blessing. It doesn’t matter if you’re from a part of the world where it’s summer all year. Sometimes the sun still disappears. When it comes back, everything changes. The feeling of the sun on the skin after it’s been dull and grey for a while is heavenly. It means we can ditch our jackets and sweaters and unflattering trousers. It means looking for excuses to be outside and be with each other. It means lunches and walks and dates and parties. It means t-shirts and tank tops and crop tops and shorts. It means flesh on display that could do with moisturiser.

While we’re giving each other a show with all the skin we’ll be advertising, there’s a case to be made for an item of clothing. It’ll make you slightly less naked, but it’s worth it. Trashed/distressed/ripped/destroyed jeans have been around for a while. They fall in and out of trend. If you’re about trends, it’d be good to have a pair for when they’re in vogue. If you couldn’t care less about trends, or if you’re somewhere in between, wear them as much as you can. We like the view.

Ripped jeans give a look and aesthetic that’s unique.

Is there anything else so casual and carefree and yet so edgy at the same time? They’re just super cool. And of course, eye-catching. Ripped clothes will turn heads anywhere, whether they are by design or because the person wearing them got into a fight with someone who really didn’t like their jeans.

Ripped jeans need a little bit of courage to wear. Often the rips scare people off with the uncertainty of how they’ll look and what people will think of them. They cause us to start asking ourselves questions. Will I look good in them? Will people think poorly of me? Will people take me seriously? Let’s say you’re brave enough to buy a pair and even braver to go on and wear them. A few things might still worry you.

If you’re worried about what to wear with your ripped jeans, worry not.

They’re easy to style.

If you’re a guy and after a casual look, a t-shirt, sleeveless shirt, or tank top works. Go wild with the colour. Even a regular shirt or a button-down shirt could work. If you’re a girl, a t-shirt, vest, crop top, bodysuit, button-down shirt, or just a regular shirt could work. Again, lose yourself in colour. If you want to wear them on a night out, step up the casual look with your footwear. The girls could switch out their top for a bralette. The same for a date (romantic or platonic) or a day out. Wearing them to a formal event is not a good idea. They just don’t work. But hey, do you, you just might pull it off. If it fails, it’s a lesson learned.

Ripped jeans aren’t hard to find. Second-hand clothes markets have them in plenty, as do vendors on the streets of cities like Nairobi. Apparel retailers and stores stock them as well. If you have a pair of jeans just lying around, or you like to experiment with stuff, take some scissors to your jeans and DIY your own ripped jeans.

So if you’re not shy about showing some skin, go all out and buy or wear a pair. Your legs will thank you, and we’ll thank you as well for so graciously adding to the scenery.