Many countries in the world have been facing up against the bewildering beast that is known internationally as “fast fashion”, identifying the affect of mass production of clothing and accessory items created for consumers across the globe.
This new era of clothing production has seen the dispersal of unused and unsold clothing being shipped to third world countries and even garbage dumps, as covered by Reuters, in an interview with upcycling mastermind and brand owner, Uche Aladimma, of Azach. You can stream their interview with him below.
Aladimma mentioned to the international news outlet, nations like his home of Nigeria, alongside others, have been receiving entire pallets of low-grade clothing, consisting of stained, ripped, or misprinted merchandise, shipped from manufacturing giants around the world. The designer takes these items and repurposes them into his own style of secondhand fashion, which he then redistributes to locals in need of a new outfit.
Working with mostly leather and denim, Aladimma mentioned they are interested in eventually moving their sales to online to spread the word of how the affects of fast fashion can devastate poor communities and clog up landfills in the farthest reaches of the planet we call home.
Would you consider purchasing secondhand fashion items? Let us know in the comments!
