DUBAI: British supermodel Naomi Campbell hit the runway in Dubai on Saturday as part of Arise Fashion Week, which celebrated the best of Nigerian fashion and music.
The event took place at Armani Hotel Dubai, against the backdrop of the glittering Burj Khalifa, Fashion labels such as Hudayya, Banke Kuku, and Odio Mimonet, showcased their latest collections, while singer Akon and rapper D’Banj performed for the crowd, Campbell modeled a series of vibrant looks, including a deep blue jumpsuit, patterned tunic, and floral printed suit.
Lagos is usually the home for Arise Fashion Week but there was a slight difference this year. As part of Nigeria’s Day at the ongoing Dubai Expo 2020, the show was transported to the tourist’s playground, alongside a bevy of Nigerian designers and their muses, who showcased their latest collections in front of the socially-distanced audience.
Set on Friday at the center of Dubai downtown in Armani Hotels, where the iconic Burj Khalifa is standing tall, the show started at 9 pm and ended at 11:30 pm. In the space of 2-hours and 30 minutes, guests were treated to a spectacular display of fashion created by some of Nigeria’s most celebrated designers, which includes Lisa Folawiyo, Ituen Basi, Keneth Ize, Huddaya, Odio Mimonet, Lanre Da Silva, Tzar Studios, Onalaja, Banke Kuku, Tj Who, and others.
Opening the one-night show was none other than Naomi Campbell who stomped the catwalk wearing a stunning design by Abuja-based label, Huddaya. As the original supermodel that she is, Naomi wowed the audience as she sashayed down the runway in a royal blue number.
The look comprised of a robe dress and pants which the British supermodel teamed with a pair of peep-toe heel sandals. Her long, straight hair also made a remarkable addition to the entire look as it continued to swing left and right.
She also walked for Banke Kuku wearing a beautiful lounge dress from the brand, as well as Keneth Ize’s patterned dress, There was also an exciting music performance by Wizkid who charged the audience to Afropop and Afrobeat music.
Speaking about the show, the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, who represented the Nigerian president, said by hosting AFW in Dubai, the organizers were showcasing Nigerian fashion to the world.
“I’m very glad to be here to witness another landmark achievement for the country: the first ARISE Fashion Week in Dubai. A city described as the Jewel of the Middle East where the best of Nigeria’s fashion and entertainment have come out in full force to celebrate our great country on this day that marks Nigeria’s Day at the Dubai Expo 2020,” Adebayo said in a statement.
Mercedes-Benz is honoring Virgil Abloh by sharing its final collaboration with a late design visionary, The striking vehicle the late designer’s second collaboration with the automaker is a battery-powered two-seater.
The German automaker unveiled Project Maybach, a zero-emission show car dreamt up by Abloh, at Art Basel Miami Beach on Wednesday, just days after his death at the age of 41 following a private battle with cancer. The striking vehicle is the second collaboration with the brand, following the G-Wagen race car, which is a battery-powered two-seater designed to tackle the great outdoors.
First announced in October, Project Maybach is a true concept vehicle unlikely to ever go into production. That doesn’t make it any less intriguing, though. Abloh worked directly with Mercedes design boss Gorden Wagener on the commanding grand tourer, which manages to look futuristic while still drawing on the automaker’s past.
The gold and gloss black coupé span nearly 20 feet from front to back. Much of that impressive length comes courtesy of a gargantuan nose lined with integrated solar cells. As you would expect, Maybach’s trademark barred grille headlines the front, alongside an array of safari-style lights. Moving back, a sloped and transparent roofline blend into a rear end that looks like the back of a spaceship. Atop the car is a roof rack fitted with similar lights to those on the front fascia.
Abloh’s influence can also be felt inside the car. Done up almost entirely in tan leather, matching the exterior, the spartan setup looks more like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise than the cabin of a car. Abloh and Wagener may have gone for a minimalist approach, but they still found room for a cinematic infotainment screen situated in the center of the dashboard. From the pictures, it appears the screen might even fold back into the dash when not in use.
Project Maybach was always supposed to debut this week, but at Abloh’s family behest the vehicle will now be exhibited for more people than initially planned. Originally, the car was set to be unveiled during an intimate press gathering, but it will now be displayed to the public at the Rubell Museum until Thursday evening.
The Project Maybach unveiling is just one of what are sure to be many tributes to Abloh during Art Basel Miami. On Tuesday, Louis Vuitton dedicated its Spring Summer 2022 show to his life and legacy. pic.twitter.com/hoqx3JIOSO
“Mercedes-Benz is devastated to hear of the passing of Virgil Abloh,” the marque said in a statement on Wednesday. “Our sincere thoughts are with Virgil’s family and teams. Now opening the world of our collaboration, and Virgil’s unique vision, to the public, we want to respectfully celebrate the work of a truly unique design talent, who created endless possibilities for collaboration through his unbridled imagination and inspired all that knew his work.”
The Project Maybach unveiling is just one of what are sure to be many tributes to Abloh during Art Basel Miami. On Tuesday, Louis Vuitton dedicated its Spring Summer 2022 show to his life and legacy. Abloh had worked at the fashion house since 2018 when he became the first Black artistic director of a major French luxury label.
Content courtesy of Robb Report & Nairobi Fashion Hub
Virgil Ablo, The founder of the fashion company Off-White and menswear artistic director at Louis Vuitton died on Sunday following a private, two-year battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare, aggressive form of cancer. He was 41.
Abloh’s death was first announced by his labels over social media.
“We are all shocked after this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom,” wrote LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault. “The LVMH family joins me in this moment of great sorrow, and we are all thinking of his loved ones after the passing of their husband, their father, their brother, or their friend.”
“We are devastated to announce the passing of our beloved Virgil Abloh, a fiercely devoted father, husband, son, brother, and friend,” reads a statement on Abloh’s official Instagram.
According to the statement, Abloh elected to keep his cancer private after being diagnosed in 2019, undergoing treatments while continuing to work as one of the fashion industry’s leading voices.
“Virgil was driven by his dedication to his craft and to his mission to open doors for others and create pathways for greater equality in art and design. He often said, ‘Everything I do is for the 17-year-old version of myself,’ believing deeply in the power of art to inspire future generations.”
Born to Ghanaian immigrant parents on Sept. 30, 1980, in Rockford, Ill., Abloh studied civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving a bachelor’s degree in 2002. He went on to earn a master’s degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2006.
Following his education, Abloh met Kanye West, who would become one of his first major collaborators. In 2011, West named Abloh creative director of his company Donda. During his tenure, Abloh worked as artistic director on some of the most popular album art of the 21st century, including West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” “Yeezus” and “Watch the Throne.” Abloh also created the covers for A$AP Rocky’s “LONG. LIVE. A$AP,” Lil Uzi Vert’s “Luv Is Rage 2,” Kid Cudi’s “Wzrd,” 2 Chainz’s “Based on a T.R.U. Story” and more.
Abloh founded the fashion house Off-White in 2012, serving as CEO until his death. His radical approach to clothing is highly responsible for the bridge between the worlds of streetwear and luxury fashion that has emerged over the past decade. Off-White launched Abloh to an even more prominent position on the global stage, attracting the attention of Louis Vuitton. The storied fashion house signed Abloh to serve as its menswear artistic director in 2018, a role he fulfilled through the remainder of his life. Abloh is the first African-American to head the house’s menswear line.
“The first thing I am going to do is define new codes,” Abloh told The New York Times following his appointment in 2018. “My muse has always been what people actually wear, and I am really excited to make a luxury version of that.”
Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton bought a majority stake in Off-White last year. In July, Abloh took on a position at LVMH that allowed him to work across the group’s 75 brands, becoming the most powerful Black executive in the history of the premier luxury group.
Beyond fashion, Abloh was also well-known for his work as a DJ and furniture designer. He is survived by his wife Shannon Abloh, his children Lowe and Grey, his sister Edwina Abloh, his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh, and numerous friends and colleagues around the world.
Content courtesy of Variety & Nairobi Fashion Hub Digital Team
As the world continues to unlock its social doors after a year’s hiatus owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers of the annual Africa Fashion Week Nigeria (AFWN) will be collaborating with the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) to return this year with a most spectacular event.
Focused on promoting indigenous emerging and established brands to international buyers, the AFWN is also reputed for bringing together the most promising, talented, and recognized fashion designers and brands from across Nigeria and Africa to showcase the latest trends and products to a large and diverse audience of consumers, industry enthusiasts, and the press.
This year’s event is billed to hold on Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th of December at the Ojaja Hall, Ife Grand Resort, Ile Ife, Nigeria, will have the Chairman of the Adire Oodua Textile Hub, His Imperial Majesty Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II Ooni of Ife, launch first of its kind Adire Mobile Boutique – Adire on wheels.
The event will also be featuring exciting runway shows, fashion talks, Adire Oodua workshops, and exhibitions.
The theme for this year; “The Impact of Indigenous Fabrics and Tourism to the Nigerian Economy”, Ademiluyi explained, is pivotal to the essence of the brand, in its continuous effort to revive the decline of local textile industries in Nigeria, hence the collaboration this year with NTDC Tour Nigeria.
Founded by Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, with the aim of promoting homegrown brands, while preserving African culture, AFWN over the years has become not only a top-rated platform for fashion design, ready-to-wear, accessories, styling, and other new designs in the country but also a world-renowned platform for promoting brands, displaying originality and broadcasting fashion trends.
Content Courtesy of This Day Live and Nairobi Fashion Hub
Kigali – Matthew Rugamba knew his Rwandan fashion label had arrived when Junior Nyong’o, the brother of Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, attended the world premiere of “Black Panther” in a three-piece suit designed by him.
Hours after the glitzy event in Los Angeles, the website for Rugamba’s brand House of Tayo exploded as inquiries flooded in from around the globe for his high-end creations.
“It changed the perspective,” the 32-year-old told AFP, still stunned by the turn of events that propelled his “made-in-Rwanda” label to a Hollywood red carpet.
“For so many years we have been telling people our fashion is good… but sometimes you need moments like that to really take it to the next level,” said Rugamba, who holds dual Rwandan and British nationality.
Kigali has yet to reach the heights of Africa’s fashion hub Lagos, but the capital of the small landlocked nation of 13 million hosts its own fashion week and draws a devoted clientele, comprising wealthy locals, expatriates, members of the diaspora, and tourists.
“I like the way they tailor the clothes, the way they design their clothes, I like the simplicity of it as well,” said Emmanuel Safari, a lawyer and frequent visitor to the House of Tayo boutique located in an upscale Kigali neighborhood.
“The clothes, you put them on and you feel good!”
Some Rwandan labels have even attracted the attention of President Paul Kagame, who was pictured wearing a shirt by bespoke Kigali brand Moshions.
But what is “Kigali style”? “It pops but it’s not flashy,” according to Jean-Victor Brun, a 50-year-old Haitian-American who came to Rwanda to develop projects in new technologies. “Modern, ethnic, and rooted in the identity of our country,” says Joselyne Umutoniwase, founder of Rwanda Clothing.
Identity is at the heart of many Rwandan brands, which excel in producing bespoke clothing – drawing on a tailoring tradition that dates back decades. For instance, Umutoniwase, who employs 45 people, incorporates the geometric designs characteristic of imigongo art – a style of painting that uses cow dung and natural pigments – into her creations.
Similarly, the beadwork found on royal headdresses and other traditional items finds its way onto jacket lapels, while Rwandan shoe label Uzuri K&Y borrows from the country’s weaving traditions to create braided sandals.
The brand’s co-founder Ysolde Shimwe said young designers like her were keen to change Rwanda’s image, 27 years after the 1994 genocide killed more than 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis.
“Ten years ago when you Googled Rwanda you only saw machetes, people killing each other and hungry kids in the streets,” she told AFP.
“We as designers in Rwanda are also contributing to change the narrative of Rwanda and mostly to changing how people perceive Rwanda because we are more than that, we are more than our historical background.”
Bullish prospects
Rwanda’s fashion industry has also received a helping hand from the government, which in 2016-17 massively hiked import taxes on second-hand clothing – mainly from the US and Europe – to promote local manufacturers.
The move, which saw duties multiply more than tenfold, effectively imposed a moratorium on trade involving the sale of secondhand clothing from the West at low prices to East African consumers.
Simultaneously the government allowed designers to import fabric tax-free, giving the nascent industry a boost, said Umutoniwase.
But, with more than 80 percent of the population living in rural areas, according to the World Bank, many Rwandans cannot afford these homegrown brands. Umutoniwase, whose prices range from around 70 dollars (60 euros) for a shirt to 80 dollars (70 euros) for a dress, told AFP the small market size presented big challenges.
Moreover, the devastation wrought by the genocide has also contributed to a huge skills shortage in the country, said designer Shimwe.
“Eight years ago when we wanted to start a shoemaking brand we could not necessarily find skilled labor, there was literally nobody that had experience or had shoemaking skills,” she said.
But in a sign of the industry’s bullish growth prospects, some of the nearly 1,100 staff trained by her have since gone on to found their own labels, she said.
“It’s a great cycle that we have been able to create.”
Kejeo Designs has been turning vibrant textiles into modern styles for Western women since 2016. Now, the fashion brand is releasing its newest Holidays 2021 Collection on October 29, 2021, that founder, Sena Ahohe, created with modern, curvy women in mind.
The fashion boutique gets its name, Kejeo (Ké-Jé-O), from the word “nou kéjéo-a,” which means something looks beautiful on you in the Mina language spoken in Benin and Togo in West Africa. Kejeo Designs prides itself on bringing the beauty and vibrancy of African culture to the West with its clothing decorated with premium African print fabrics such as Ankara or Mud Cloth.
And for over five years now, Kejeo Designs has made African clothing lines for men and African clothing lines for women that inspire a sense of pride in African ancestry.
Kejeo Designs has released many colorful and beautiful collections over the years that feature clothing for men and women of all sizes and stylish accessories. But their newest drop, the Holidays 2021 Collection, has been long-awaited.
The Holidays 2021 Collection will feature size-inclusive styles for the modern woman who’s been searching high and low for fashion that compliments their shape and style!
Size-inclusive clothing doesn’t have to be boring.
And Kejeo Designs proves just that with their new collection that’s full of bold African print, feminine and classic silhouettes, and clothes that show off your curves not hide them.
Discover dresses, tops, outerwear, and more in the Holidays 2021 Collection that comes in a range of accessible prices that’ll make any woman feel confident in their skin this season.
Kejeo Designs is committed to the belief that regardless of your size, shape, or color, you deserve to wear clothing that makes you feel confident in your self-expression and feel proud of African culture. The brand plans to release more collections in the future and expand its reach. But for now, you can find their new Holidays 2021 Collection on October 29th
Content courtesy of Ein Presswire and Nairobi Fashion Hub
Ugandan fashion designer Kaijuka Abbas walked away with the award of ‘Best Fashion Brand in Africa’ award at the African Fashion Designer Awards 2021.
The African Fashion Designer Awards is a platform that aims at recognizing creative fashion designers and enthusiasts around Africa. Themed “Iconic Hall Of Fame”, the 4th edition of the awards that happened in Nigeria took place at City Park, Abuja on 19th November 2021.
The glamorous red carpet event featured exhibitions, runway showcases, cocktail, and ballet plus the anticipated awards gala-night Uganda was well represented by the talented Kaijuka Abbas whose brand Kais Divo Collection was named “The Best Fashion Brand in Africa”.
The elated Kaijuka shared the good news as he thanked his friends, fans, and followers on social media for supporting and voting for him. We bagged another one! I can’t thank you enough; each and every one of you who took the time to vote for me and make this a reality!
The Dreamiest Collection from Ugandan Fashion Brand Kai’s Divo Collections
The collection is titled Hope, a celebration of the resilience of every individual who has and still is fighting to end this pandemic. Despite the distress and job losses that came with it, we are still very hopeful that this too shall pass.
https://youtu.be/V9ol57X7TTk
The clothes symbolize a sense of joy, tranquillity, and exuberance, everything we are seeing less of now.
The virtual presentation was intended to transport the viewer back to when it was normal to walk on the red carpet in a frothy gown with adoring paparazzi flashing away.
Kaijuka Abbas worked with fabrics such as organza, latex leather, tulle, and a color palette of black, yellow, and red the national colors of Uganda.
Kais Divo Collection draped fabrics in abstract and impractical ways evidenced in the voluminous shapes and floor-grazing trails, creating some sort of fantasy.
Fashion has always been an escape from the gloom and turmoil going on around us, and this collection is doing the most to evoke positivity, and most importantly, hope that this too shall pass.
Thank you African Fashion Awards, Nigeria for honoring me with the ‘Award of best fashion Brand In Africa last night’. This wouldn’t be a reality without my clients, and everybody who has made an effort to support, endorse and approve this brand! My heart is full!
He adds the accolade to his trophies cabinet which features several other local and international awards. Congratulations Abbas!
Abbas Kaijuka is a Ugandan fashion designer, stylist, and fashion collector known for his brand Kai’s Divo.
He is a recipient of East Africa’s Male Fashion Designer of the Year award at the 2020 East Africa Fashion Awards and the Fashion Designer of the Year award at the 2016 Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards and received various nominations including the East African Designer of the year award at the 2017 Swahili Fashion Week. I had a chat with him and below is our conversation.
It was a daunting, superfluous display of pomp and pageantry at the just concluded maiden edition of the Calabar Fashion Week 2021, held at the SPAR Calabar Mall.
The event with the theme “open up a dare to dream”, began on Friday, 5th – Saturday, spanned through 6th November 2021 had haute couture, from fashion designers showcasing their creativity under the most dazzling of ambiances.
And at the center of it all is Mr. Jude Attah, the President and CEO of Phronesis Fashion World. He is said to be one of the Nigerian leading brands in the industry.
Endorsing the event, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism Development, Mr. Eric Iso Anderson, stated that the positives of the Calabar Fashion Week brand cannot be overemphasized, as first, it will serve as a healthy tourism addition to the Cross River State events calendar even as the Ministry constantly ensures that events hold all year round leading up to the peak in December.
Content courtesy of Calabar Fashion Week & Nairobi Fashion Hub
Kikafri Collections has proudly announced that it is producing and marketing the iconic African style fashion from Kenya at a global level. In early 2020, the Christian Business Angels (CBA), angel investors based in The Netherlands entered into a shareholding partnership with Kikafri Collections, which gave a new life to the brand.
The slogan of this inspiring African brand is ‘Design your piece of Africa’ and the company remains true to every word of this slogan. To grow and expand its global reach, the brand is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, where it is welcoming generous community support and backing.
“As a brand, Kikafri Collection is aiming for global recognition by spreading our unique sense of fashion, and we emphasize individual style by enabling our clients to “design their own piece of Africa.” Said Johnny Kibilige, while introducing this project to the Kickstarter community.
The brand is not only life-changing for its customers but even more so for the skilled young Kenyans by offering them employment opportunities and enabling them to improve their lives. The covid pandemic struck hard at Kenya as well, amongst others by making most tourists, a key market for Kikafri, stay at home.
All funds raised through this Kickstarter campaign will enable the company to increase its manufacturing capacity by opening a workshop, purchasing sewing equipment, and opening a shop in the Karen shopping mall of Nairobi, Kenya.
Backers from around the world can become a part of this project by making pledges. Moreover, the goal of this Kickstarter campaign is to raise a sum of EUR 9,000 and the brand is offering a wide range of rewards for the backers with worldwide shipping. Furthermore, more details are available on the Kickstarter campaign page of the project.
Kikafri Collections (www.kikafri.com) is a Kenya-based African fashion startup aimed at producing and promoting customized African fashion to all corners of the world. From bags to sandals and other fashion articles, the product line of customized Kikafri range is extensive, and growing every day. Moreover, the company is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter to grow and expand, and to get worldwide recognition for its growing product line.
The Kickstarter Campaign
Content courtesy of Digital Journal , Kikafri & Nairobi Fashion Hub
The Style Lounge Platform launches officially for emerging designers on its website this November 2021, with emphasis on Community, Innovation, and Collaboration. It is premised on a unique and rich African culture and how growing up in a typical African setting can influence greatly a ‘creative and stylish’ African child. Themed “A Part of Me”, the Style Lounge Platform is an initiative of Debonair Afrik birthed in 2017 with a focus and commitment to building fashion brands and promoting fashion businesses.
Founder of the platform, Emmanuel Ekuban, known within the fashion fraternity as Nuel Bans shares his excitement at the launch of the Style Lounge Platform saying, “We created this platform to shine a spotlight on emerging designers in the fashion industry and provide participants with an all-new and refreshing view of fashion blending the African fashion style trends while maintaining the highest international standards of fashion.”
The platform builds a community of new and emerging fashion designers while giving them the opportunity to showcase their designs. The designer community features an appreciable number of reputable African designers like Atto Tetteh, Alwoman, Bloom by Edzi, Bushai Weave, Djoulde, Dufie Boateng, Ekua Addo, Feb By Serwaa, Groomsmen, Hazza, Kai Shika, Larry Jay Couture, MxDonna, Nuna Couture, Olooh, Sena Bryte, Steve French, Talensigh, along with their biographies, press releases, lookbooks, stockist lists and relevant links to digital showrooms, and also find latest collections, catwalk shows, shoppable links and editorial content from the designers.
The Style Lounge, since its birth in 2017 has organized 3 successful events each year from 2017 to 2019 under the Style Lounge Weekend. The annual event is aimed at bringing together fashion brands and creatives, to network and encourage emerging brands with the needed platform to market their wares.
The Style Lounge has also introduced 3 projects: the Dots Trade’, Graduate Fashion Showcase, and Design Intern Fellowship, which all serve unique purposes but are centered around fashion businesses, brands, and designers. The community works with African designers to promote local fashion talents through trade, originality, and sustainability with its flagship project: The Dots Trade’. The event creates a series of fashion exhibitions and pop-ups that seeks to strengthen the socio-economic enterprise by tapping into the fashion value chain. To join The Style Lounge Platforms community of young and emerging fashion designers,
As live fashion events made a disappearance under the Covid glare, the launch of Imandwa Fashion Collection by Rwanda’s Moshions Fashion House has relit the stage and set a blistering pace for the fashion industry.
Imandwa has also sparked debate on the critical but uncomfortable discussion surrounding gender stereotyping and masculinity and their place present traditional and contemporary society.
The November 8 and 9 showcase at Atelier, the newly re-launched space in Kimihurura, Kigali, rekindled the space that audiences knew events to be.
Easing of the pandemic-related lockdowns saw a gradual return of music concerts but Imandwa took to fashion. Of note about this collection is the bringing together of the handicraft of Moses Turahirwa of Moshions, who designs outfits inspired by traditional and ancient art and designs. Right from Umwitero, the traditional wearable robe, complimented with entwined beadwork from the Imigongo, an ancient art form, into various finishes.
Cedric Mizero of Amizero Designs sparked debate especially for his unique makes; of abstract craft inspired by life and nature themes like the environment, space, and the wild, which he believes speak to generations.
This year’s collection follows their first collaboration last year where they produced the Zero-Waste Jacket, a long-sleeved stylish unisex outfit designed from recycled remains of leftover cloths pieces.
Striking difference Unlike the typical fashion events where models graced the runways, Imandwa is a fixed exhibition, of live fashion models posing amidst traditionally crafted and preassembled fore and backgrounds, which occupy Atelier’s upper space.
A lively curated tour guide by the designers themselves takes the audience through their creations. Male models dressed in jackets, shirts, and shorts, made mostly from wool, and silk. The outfits sport partially hand-dyed baselines along with the trousers. To add sparkle, they are ornamented with tailored hand-beaded embroidery of traditionally shaped craft. The outfit is supplemented with the Umwitero, a light silky robe that is wrapped from the shoulder, chest to waist.
The showcase is backed by well-crafted traditional sets, of a different make. One has bean ornaments, another stands amidst hundreds of bricks. Yet another in between clay pottery, while the last two models emerge from what seems like a grass-thatched African village hut.
Gender stereotypes Imandwa brings to fore tradition. Even in their past collections, there has been a running theme to address gender stereotyping, with masculinity at the fore.
The male models, clad in African masks designed to emulate Rwandan faces of Amasunzu, an ancient hairstyle, emerge from the background and stand. For a few minutes, they look straight up, then slowly take off the mask, pose a little more before returning to their hideouts or safe spaces.
Content courtesy of East African & Nairobi Fashion Hub
Clothing, especially from fast fashion, is a major contributor to global warming and pollution. Mountains of discarded garments end up in West Africa. The $2.7-trillion fashion industry is one of the largest, most resource-intensive sectors in the global economy, and it has a devastating impact on our environment.
The extraordinary success of “fast fashion” giants like H&M, Zara, and Forever 21 stems from their ability to produce a massive amount of clothing billions of garments a year in the cheapest and quickest manner possible. An article of clothing often travels through dozens of countries and hundreds of hands and ends up being worn only a few times.
Consider the statistics:
A single cotton shirt or ‘eco-friendly’ cloth grocery bag requires 2,700 liters of water to produce.
The fashion industry produces approximately one-third of all microplastics found in the ocean.
Global cotton production is estimated to produce 220 million tons of CO2 emissions each year. Experts say the industry accounts for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. Workers mostly women earn low wages.
The average consumer buys 60% more clothing than 15 years ago.
Fast-fashion choices are ending up in landfills.
These numbers, as dire as they are, account for only the production half of the story.
What happens when these clothes are no longer of use or no longer “in style”? The Council for Textile Recycling reports that the average American throws away between 70 and 81 pounds (30-36 kg) of clothing and other textiles annually. Globally, 17 million tonnes of clothes go to landfills mostly in the Global South.
Although many people believe that donating clothes is environmentally friendly, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 84% of all clothing eventually ended up in landfills or incinerators in 2012, even if they were donated. Not only are fast-fashion choices of the Global North ending up in landfills, but they are also often traveling thousands of miles and creating tonnes of CO2 to get there.
Ghana in West Africa is a common dumping ground.
A common dumping ground for discarded and unwanted cheap clothing is in West Africa. Accra, the capital of Ghana, receives approximately 15 million used garments per week, or 70 tonnes per day, of which approximately 40% are of such low quality they go immediately to the landfill.
The remainder is sent to be sold in one of the largest garment markets in West Africa Kantamanto Market. It is important to note that Accra’s landfills are already almost entirely full, and the country is struggling with its own internal waste management issues.
In Ghana, about 12,710 tons of solid waste is generated every day, and only 10% of that is collected and disposed of at designated dumping sites. Waste pickers who spend the day picking trash and managing the landfill’s recycling and sorting work under dangerous conditions. They account for a significant portion of the recyclables sorting and waste management in Ghana.
Johnson Doe, President of the Kpone Landfill Waste Pickers Association, is one of the hundreds of waste pickers who spend their days in Accra’s largest landfills. He sorts trash and pulls recyclables from the massive mountains of garbage. He also spends time training and organizing waste pickers to demand fair wages and healthcare.
“In Ghana, there is no law that guides waste pickers,” Doe said. “The recycling of waste, the management of waste, we know a lot. So we decided to organize ourselves seven years ago. We want to be recognized by the community, recognized by the government, and we want to be involved in the decision-making to protect ourselves.”
Doe said it is difficult to sort so much fabric. “Clothing waste is one of the major problems we faced at the landfill because it takes more space and when it is mixed up with the waste, we find it difficult to find and salvage the recyclables.”
Our clothing choices are no longer sustainable for the environment.
The garment markets in Accra are feeling the impact of too many clothes. According to OR Foundation, which has been studying Kantamanto Market for more than a decade, “the Global North is relying on Ghana to take part in a waste management strategy necessitated by relentless overproduction and overconsumption.”
Although many citizens in Accra rely on these clothing distribution sites for income, the broader impact on the community and the country is significant. The overflowing landfills pollute water supplies, produce constant smoke, and generate risky, low-wage jobs.
“This isn’t sustainable anymore,” said Dr. Katherine Duffy, a senior lecturer at Glasgow University. “The most sustainable clothes that we have are the ones we already own. If we can start thinking about care, maintenance, longevity, and how we treat those garments, then we are already starting to think in a more sustainable fashion.”
Duffy recommended ways to think differently about clothing. “Consumers at the moment have so much readily available information about the problems associated with high demand for new clothing, combined with the global trend of the ever-decreasing lifespan of garments and also the environment and social impact of those behaviors,” she said
“But I’m also excited by some of the new behaviors that are starting to emerge. We need to focus on the four ‘R’s’ repair, resale, reuse, and rental. These options are really a way for us to think about how we engage with our items as well as the care and attention we want to place on the garment and how we can preserve it for its next life.”
