Discarded clothes are getting a second life on the runway as Ghana’s annual Obroni Wawu October festival transforms textile waste into fashion, challenging the global fast-fashion industry.
Footage filmed on Sunday in Accra shows models strutting down the runway in colourful upcycled outfits, while visitors browse stalls displaying patchwork denim, handmade accessories and garments made from second-hand materials.
“A friend of mine has had this since the 90s, which was a pair of suit pants, and I decided to transform it into a skirt, to which I added some silk scarves from Accra,” said Michelle Edinam Azumah, founder of Blckattitude Studios.
“It just holds a special place in my heart. So, I decided to create this out of it and turn it into a wearable garment,” she added.
Organised by The Or Foundation and market associations, the festival celebrates designers and traders at Kantamanto, one of the world’s largest second-hand clothing markets.
“These are waste materials that are supposed to go to the landfill, but you get people, artisans, buying this waste and repurposing it into nice garments,” said Joseph Siaw Ayesu, Citizen Science Coordinator at The Or Foundation.
But beyond the runway, organisers are urging the global fashion industry to tackle textile overproduction.
“The first thing is to reduce their production volumes. The second one that I would say is also to use sustainable materials in their production, which will help the world as a whole,” Ayesu explained.
Launched in 2022, the festival celebrated Ghana’s second-hand clothing economy with its fifth edition this year.
Kantamanto receives millions of second-hand garments from overseas each week, supporting thousands of livelihoods but also generating waste that can end up in landfills, waterways and on beaches.
Source: Viory
