Easyport Shackles

Easyport Shackles are a fashionable set of clothing, consisting of single band of cloth tying together both hands. Originally from the city of Easyport on Zeist, they have become popular throughout the Pax Galactica.

History
The Easyport Shackles first appeared as a short lived trend in the city of Easyport on Zeist, being popular in the city and nearby coastal areas for roughly one summer before fading into obscurity. Roughly a decade later the Easyport Shackles experienced a renaissance, as members of the High Council families of the Pax Galactica adopted the fashion, turning it into an Empire-wide fad. Today, Easyport Shackles are considered a classic piece of No-Maki fashion and experience recurring trends roughly once per decade.

Symbolism
The popularity of the Easyport Shackles stems from their symbolism. Both hands tied together signal a life without hard labor or responsibility, displaying affluence and wealth of ones family. They are typically not worn by Patriarchs or Matriarchs, who indeed are socially expected to be hard working and responsible, but rather by their family members. Being able to wear clothing as confining as this is considered proof of a family's head's ability to care for the rest of his family.

Amongst vagabonds, however, Easyport Shackles are often looked down upon. The social ideal of a carefree and naive family life is the exact opposite of the independence and self-sustainability many of vagabond social status in the Pax Galactica take pride in. Easyport Shackles have therefore taken upon a symbolic meaning akin to that of a 'gilded cage' amongst vagabonds, while violent attacks on wearers of Easyport Shackles have not been unheard of.