Kandi bracelet

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Two people wearing kandi bracelets on both of their arms Kandi for rave.jpg
Two people wearing kandi bracelets on both of their arms

A kandi bracelet is a type of bracelet usually made out of pony beads, and is a popular type of attire in scene or rave culture, particularly kandi culture, an American phenomenon deeply rooted in US rave culture. Kandi bracelets are traditionally handcrafted, and some view store-bought kandi bracelets as diminishing their meaning of 'unity'. [1] They are frequently made with rainbow or lettered beads. [2]

Contents

"Kandi kids" is a term for those in the kandi trading subculture. [3] [4]

History

The term 'kandi' may come from the phrase 'candy necklace'; when pronounced out loud, kandi and candy sound the same. [5] They started appearing in the early 1990s South California Rave scene. [6]

Kandi bracelets may have evolved out of friendship bracelets; [7] friendship bracelets are often handmade and exchanged to commemorate a friendship, like kandi bracelets. [1]

This same style of bracelets, but under the more general name of "Friendship bracelets" have been traded at Taylor Swift shows in the 2020s. [6] This brought the popularity of these bracelets to a wider audience of younger fans.

PLUR and trading

The PLUR handshake is done when exchanging kandi bracelets, with each element of the acronym represented by a step. [8] [9] [10] Kandi bracelets kept on the right arm are available to trade, while those on the left arm are not. [11] [8] Sometimes, the words are said as the gestures are done: [12]

Often, the PLUR handshake is followed by a hug. [13]

Terminology

Kandi bracelets have kandi-specific terms to describe them. [3] Stitch is an umbrella term regarding the specific types of kandi; the three most common stitches are multistitch (even tubular peyote stitch), flat peyote stitch (even and odd), and x base. [3] Cuffs are any form of kandi bracelet that uses multiple rows of beads. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 Small, Liz. "5 Things You Didn't Know About Kandi Bracelets". Relentless Beats. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  2. ↑ Buncsi, Carine (December 2014). "Why Kandi Keeps the Spirit of Rave Alive in the Us". Mixmag: 26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bevacqua, Joel (March 3, 2017). "Inside the World of the Kandi Kids, Dance Music's Most Colorful Subculture". LA Weekly. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ Pradeep, Malavika (July 1, 2021). "Introducing Kandi kids, a wholesome subculture birthed out of the American rave scene". Screenshot Media (in Russian). Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  5. ↑ Rinehart, JD (April 25, 2022). "What is Kandi? How do You Trade Them at Raves?" . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Unweaving the history of friendship bracelets". Culture. May 26, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  7. ↑ Beehler, Kiah (October 4, 2019). "Exploring the role of kandi in our scene today (Opinion)". Dance Music NW. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  8. 1 2 iHeartRaves. "How to Trade Kandi at a Rave". iHeartRaves. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ kkussman (May 17, 2020). "PLUR Handshake and the Exchanging of Kandi – Rave Culture | USC Digital Folklore Archives" . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Culture Behind Kandi | Kevin Taylor". sites.psu.edu. Retrieved February 8, 2023.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ Tessene, Jessica (March 25, 2018). "Kandi Etiquette: The Guide to Trading for First Timers". EDM Identity. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  12. ↑ T, Nate (April 25, 2022). "What is Kandi? How do You Trade Them at Raves?" . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ Packs, Lunchbox. "What is PLUR?". Lunchbox Packs. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
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