A runway show in Gikomba, east Africa’s largest secondhand clothing market, has aimed to spotlight the environmental impact of mass clothing imports and propose solutions. The event, featured in the documentary 'Wasteland', showcased how local stylists and designers are repurposing discarded garments.
Kenya imports over 185,000 tonnes of secondhand clothing annually, yet up to 40% is unwearable and ends up in dumpsites. The documentary's trailer describes this as a 'mountain of waste disguised as charity'. Co-producer Sally Ngoiri said the idea stemmed from seeing her neighbourhood grow dirtier and the Nairobi River clogged with discarded clothes.
The film follows entrepreneur Luca Wakarindi, who owns a secondhand store in Gikomba. She emphasises giving clothes a new life through repurposing and refashioning, but stresses the need for regulation: 'If out of five garments I can only use two and have to throw away the rest, then we need a new system to control what’s being imported.'
Organisers invited stakeholders including the French Embassy, UN Environment Programme, UNICEF and Kenya's National Environment Management Authority to witness the problem first-hand. 'We want to challenge them to take action to achieve regulation,' said Ngoiri.
Creative director David Kimani, who works at Wakarindi's store, noted the benefits of thrifting when creativity is encouraged. 'I started styling myself, then I styled my homies, and now I style artists and models. We are turning trash into fashion,' he said. The documentary is due to premiere in June at the Alliance Française in Nairobi.
