Abstract
This dissertation explores the intersections of clothing, class, and status through an organizational ethnography of the Antifake Street Clothing Brand. Situating the study within 'The Anthropology of Clothing and Dress' and 'the Anthropology of Business,' the research focuses specifically on the impact of fashion on notions of class and status. Observations within Antifake revealed the significant role of fashion in (re)constructing ideas surrounding class and status. Drawing from the influence of the Skhothane subculture, predominant in Gauteng townships during the late 2000s, Antifake members adopt a style associated with higher prestige, reflective of a higher social class. The Skhothane culture, characterized by a lavish lifestyle, extravagant expenditure on expensive alcohol, and the deliberate destruction of high-end clothing brands, was marked by a temporary departure from this high-class image to a return to the members' low-class township reality after public displays. This phenomenon raises questions about youth agency, particularly in the African context. Conversations and immersions with Antifake members revealed that their carefully curated images on social media and in-person often led others to perceive them as affluent, adding a layer of complexity to discussions on youth agency. Over six months of participant observation, it became evident that Antifake members, two of whom were former Skhothanes during high school, aspired to transcend their perceived lower-class conditions. They expressed that their earlier experience as Skhothanes significantly influenced their presentation of self, particularly through fashion. In essence, this dissertation contributes to a broader conversation on youth agency in the South African context. It delves into the fluidity of classism and the transformative potential of fashion as a tool for the reinvention of class distinctions.