Ghanaian designers are turning textile waste into fashionable creations, combating the environmental impact of fast fashion.
The Or Foundation is organizing an annual upcycled fashion festival called “Obroni Wawu October,” which means “dead white man’s clothes” in the local Akan language.
Designers at the festival create new outfits from discarded materials sourced from the Kantamanto market. These creations range from blouses and jeans to bags and accessories.
The festival aims to disrupt the cycle of Western overconsumption and its environmental impact on Africa.
This innovative approach is gaining traction as the country grapples with the consequences of being a major importer of used clothing.
In Ghana, many people buy preowned clothes because they are cheaper than new items and sometimes include designer brands but the country’s infrastructure struggles to handle the sheer volume of textile waste entering the country.
The country is a leading importer of used clothing from the West, including the U.K., Canada, and China. Much of this imported clothing is of poor quality and ends up being discarded.
The amount of discarded clothing on our
beaches has increased significantly in recent years and designers like Richard Asante Palmer are finding creative ways to reuse textile waste instead of letting it pollute the environment.
A large percentage of imported clothes, estimated at 40%, becomes waste, polluting waterways, beaches, and landfills. This waste is choking the environment, as described by designer Richard Asante Palmer.
Unsold clothes are often thrown into the Korle Lagoon, which flows into the sea, and fishermen often catch textile waste in their nets.
Fast fashion, characterized by high volumes of low-quality goods, is contributing to the textile waste problem in Ghana.
In the U.K., unwanted clothes are often donated to charities, but these items are sometimes stolen and exported, often without the donor’s knowledge.
The large volume of secondhand clothing sent to Africa has led to complaints that the continent is being used as a dumping ground for textile waste.
The Or Foundation is working to address the pollution issue by encouraging young people and fashion creators to find innovative ways to reuse discarded materials.
Some African countries have tried to impose trade restrictions on imported secondhand clothing, but these have had limited impact.
Experts suggest that trade restrictions might not be enough to solve the issue. Instead, they suggest a need to address the root causes of textile waste through a change in the dominant mode of production.
The upcycled fashion movement in Ghana not only provides a solution for textile waste but also inspires a shift toward more sustainable practices in the fashion industry.
Credit: VOA News
