Fashion Shapes Lives is one of our key values here at London College of Fashion (LCF). We believe that fashion provides us with the means to shape and improve the lives of communities. Over the years, sustainability has become a key focus in the fashion industry, which has long been associated with high levels of waste, largely driven by fast fashion. That is why our courses are designed to incorporate our values through various projects and workshops that our students take part in.
As part of our BA (Hons) Critical Practice in Fashion Media course second year students, along with the Course Leader, Sophie Barr, embarked on a collaborative project in Ghana, which was made possible by University of the Arts London’s (UAL) Global Seed Fund. The project aimed to address the global crisis of fashion and textile waste. On this trip the group connected with Fashion Designer Yayra Agbofah, and his brand ‘The Revival’, a community-driven, non-profit organisation, based in Accra, whose aim is to educate and raise awareness around imported clothing waste in Ghana.
Trips to Kantamanto Market in Accra, gave the group an insight into one of the world’s largest second-hand textile markets, where discarded clothes are a getting a new lease on life. Many of the clothes from this market arrive as donations from charity shops, clothing banks and thrift stores in Europe and North America, from people who donate with the belief that their clothes will be resold or repurposed for a good cause. However, there has been a noticeable decline in the quality of these donations that end up in markets like Kantamanto; which impacts their ability to resell.
This in turn leads to a damaging knock-on effect on the environment, with disposed clothes ending up in unofficial landfill or being dumped in nearby lagoons or in some instances even washed out to sea. This negatively impacts the lives of the local community and marine ecosystems. For instance, textile waste in landfills often leads to air and water pollution, which can lead to significant health issues for those in the surrounding environment. Discarded clothes can impact fish and other aquatic animals as materials such as polyester can be ingested by them.
Alongside seeing the negative effects fashion can have, the group were able to experience the extraordinary creativity and resourcefulness of Kantamanto’s traders and tailors, who carefully clean, repair and upcycle discarded clothing and materials - this is where local brand, The Revival step in! Through their studio they create high-quality, and bespoke fashion pieces from this waste. In addition to this, the brand empowers the local community through upcycling workshops, which in turn supports and uplifts local creatives.
Following the trip, Yayra participated in the Critical Practice in Fashion Media unit briefing and provided feedback on student projects, which aimed to showcase innovative ways to tackle fashion waste. Students worked in groups to come up with innovative methods such as using a photo flip book aimed at young consumers encouraging sustainable practices, with another group proposing an immersive club night where textile waste is repurposed into art installations
The collaboration with The Revival has highlighted the first-hand negative impact fashion can have on the environment and surrounding communities, however, it positively affected students on the course by bringing a complex global environment issue into sharp focus.
Students from the course had their say on the project:
“Yayra’s philosophy towards upcycling was refreshingly positive, offering a compelling alternative to the prevailing narrative of waste.”
“Before this project I was only partially aware of the impact which waste colonialism has, and the importance as creatives to centralise this issue in our practice.”
“The research I did on waste colonialism and climate activism…really helped to inform the purpose and message [of my work]”
As a result of the trip the project was awarded the 2024 People's Prize award for Climate Justice and Sustainability in the Knowledge Exchange Staff Awards.
Want to know what life on the BA (Hons) Critical Practice in Fashion Media course is like? Hear from Nandi a student on the course who provides an insight into projects she has worked on, her inspirations and more!