Fashion

The Kemonae uses clothes and paint to express themselves.

Body paint

The Kemonae sometimes paints their own fur by bleaching and recoloring certain body parts, either full-body for larger festivities and gatherings or smaller body parts for personal decorative purposes.

For performance acts such as festivals, theatre, seasonal celebrations or others, the bodies of key performers may be colored or tinted in to certain hues to accompany existing props. For example, in the case of harvest celebration, the Kemonae washes themselves with bleach and then coats themselves in a temporary yellow pigment made from sunflower seeds. However, these types of colors and tints often wear off quite quickly, and the remaining bleached fur is replaced within a week.

For personal detail and attention, it is customary to apply a colored bleach salve to specific areas, such as fingertips, arms, shoulders, ears, tail, and sometimes the face. The colors tend to be less intense than body paint and serves as a complement reflecting the decorative tastes of the person.

Clothes

In general, the Kemonae wears clothes for personal expression rather than pure protection. For the furred species, they are somewhat unnecessary and are made in a lighter and less sturdy material. For most, it is often enough to wear a simple pair of shorts and a shirt to be in public; but more covering clothes tend to be baggier and looser, letting air flow to cool the person down. Because furred species sheds their own fur over a full day, it is normal to keep a personal brush to keep clothes clean if needed, and at certain events, “Fur cleaners” who clean up while the event is on-going.

Pants usually have a slot for the tail base, and are either tied or buttoned right above it. Hats are made with similar slots for ears. In certain formal situations it might be required to skip these designs to fulfill a cleaner, less disturbing look; for example, a ceremony to commemorate a deceased person might expect all to wear a head gear that folds the ears down and a painted body to match the outfit as a sign of respect. Formal business situations may be more lax with the rules, but apply hygienic expectations such as, at all times, clean up the shed fur and wearing long sleeved clothes.

Otherwise the hands, feet, arms, legs, and shoulders are usually not required to be under cover, as it is understood to facilitate temperature control. Shoes depend on the amount of cleanliness demanded; for example, to personally visit someone’s home would require the feet to be cleaned properly before entering. The extremities generally tolerate harsh weather and do not need to be warmed, but if it’s required, there exists arm and leg-warmers.

Glasses are strictly a fashionable item and may enlarge the eyes, encouraging a more direct and intimate connection to people. Chokers are common and some have sound emitting parts built in to them, which is expected.