CNN profiles Black designers and creatives spearheading the push for eco-friendly design and recycled couture in a recent episode of Inside Africa.
Every week, about 15 million used garments from China and Western nations arrive in Ghana, primarily at Kantamanto, one of the largest markets for used clothing worldwide. However, about 40% of the clothing is disposed of in landfills or on adjacent beaches.
“[It] has had a massive impact on our environment, our beaches are dirty, our landfills or our dump sites are polluted with massive volumes of textile waste, and this is a huge contribution of fast fashion,” says Yayra Agbofah, the founder of The Revival, regarding the effects of this in Ghana.
As part of their goal to popularize upcycling, Agbofah says that with The Revival, “We’re trying to create opportunities with waste and trying to redefine the fashion industry to be much more sustainable, environmentally conscious, at the same time creating opportunities for people.” They do this by collaborating with neighborhood tailors and second-hand resellers, holding pop-ups, and holding workshops.
Rapper Manifest and musician from Ghana, The Revival, are among the people who are promoting the trend of wearing vintage and upcycled clothing. Head of Editorial Content at British Vogue Chioma Nnadi talks about the current indicators of shifting sensibilities, Even this year’s Met Gala had as its central theme “reawakening and reawakening the archive,” and many well-known people on the red carpet selected chose to wear vintage pieces.”
The goal of this year’s special exhibition, which features work by sustainability trailblazer Torisheju Dumi, who tells CNN that her goal is “to show people that you can just use what you have, to create beautiful and interesting pieces and objects,” is to raise money for the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
But the designer admits that the term “sustainability” has gained some popularity, saying, “I think it’s important to have different perspectives on sustainability.” The only way we can further develop this term we have created is in that manner.
Speaking about what sustainability means to her, Priya Ahluwalia, the founder and creative director of the multi-award-winning brand Ahluwalia—which has come to be associated with high fashion that is sustainable—also “I define sustainability as taking the best possible action for both the environment and people.” is also about maintaining people’s homes, their cultures, and their heritage, as well as treating everyone equally.
Her company uses Microsoft’s recycling program Circulate to find deadstock and vintage materials. “A platform that uses AI to allow us to crowdsource,” is how she puts it.
Thus, if someone has a top they no longer want, they can go on Circulate, take a picture of it, and the technology will organize it and decide whether to accept it or reject it through a number of criteria. So, we’re engaging our community in sustainability.”
Nnadi emphasizes the significance of industry-wide modifications and governmental legislation in managing textile waste. “In the end, it ought to be something we consider from a legislative standpoint. I believe that waste management and the treatment of textile waste should be considered by the government.
The sustainable fashion industry is expanding due in part to the rise of sustainable fashion consultants like Zara Odu, a Nigerian brand consultant and the founder of Designers Consociate & Roundabout. “We help brands become more sustainable, from idea to product, and then helping them figure out how they can be more circular with the entire process,” the woman says, summarizing her work.
Odu concludes that there are indications the industry is moving in the right direction toward sustainability, citing an increase in designers, brands, and investments focused on sustainable practices. “You observe the ingenuity and inventiveness that the continent is already producing. You can therefore only speculate as to what might result from that if it is encouraged, elevated, and further developed.
