ACCRA, Dec 28 (Reuters) – Because the solar set on a courtyard of transport containers in Ghana’s capital Accra, younger women and men in Pink Floyd, Grateful Lifeless and tie-dye tees bartered over military surplus jackets and Adidas sneakers whereas a dwell deejay spun Afrobeat classics.
The Classic Gala, as 23-year outdated founders Prince Quist and James Edem Doe Dartey dubbed it, introduced collectively a motion of younger classic lovers pushing again in opposition to the worldwide quick style business by encouraging their friends to buy secondhand.
“When you put on garments that have been made again within the day…you are serving to the atmosphere by not utilizing the uncooked supplies and different issues wanted to make new ones,” Quist mentioned, seated in entrance of the sales space for his and Dartey’s on-line store, TT Classic Retailer.
“The thought is simply to encourage all people to thrift classic, as a result of secondhand items aren’t second class stuff,” Dartey added. “Purchasing classic makes recycling even higher.”
Ghana receives round 15 million objects of used clothes every week from Western nations and China, offloaded in bulk, usually at negligible costs and questionable high quality. Round 40% of this finally leads to large city landfills, in line with the U.S. based mostly Or Basis.
[1/7] Buyers purchase second-hand sneakers on the Kantamanto market in Accra, Ghana, November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko
A lot of it passes via Accra’s Kantamanto, one of many largest garment markets on the continent, the place bales of used garments are bought based mostly on the anticipated high quality of the clothes wrapped up inside.
Hours earlier than dawn a number of instances per week, classic lovers like Quist and Dartey comb via Kantamanto’s rivers of imported garments, trying to find gems they’ll resell on Instagram pages with hundreds of followers in Ghana and overseas.
They imagine shopping for secondhand not solely helps to scale back style’s environmental influence, but additionally permits them and their clients to precise distinctive types aside from present developments.
Their message is easy: purchase secondhand, make a distinction.
“Take away the entire notion that you simply solely put on classic if you find yourself poor, otherwise you solely put on thrifted stuff when you do not have cash,” mentioned inventive Myra Davis outdoors the Classic Gala occasion.
“It has been right here for years,” she mentioned. “Why go and produce extra when there’s greater than sufficient obtainable to you?”
Reporting by Francis Kokoroko and Cooper Inveen
Enhancing by Peter Graff
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