Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(S.Afr. gang) a 1970s youth subculture that prioritized smart clothes over inter-gang violence.

2000

C. Glaser Bo-Tsotsi 107: Two popular male subcultural styles could be identified in Soweto during the 1960s–70s: ‘clevers’ and ‘ivies’ [...] ‘Ivies’ were clearly non-criminal and shied away from violence [...] They probably acquired their name from the exclusive American Ivy league image.