Russians wear them on their clothes for good luck. Punk rockers wear them on their clothes, often in large numbers, for several reasons. One reason is that it looks sort of tough and cool. Another reason is that punk rockers usually wear old and&wearing-out-clothes that frequently need on-the-spot repair. They are rarely stuck through cheeks like they were in the old days (1977.) As far as that goes, there were Africans doing it first.