Superman, retro t-shirts and sweet memories

*Entire ensemble is secondhand.

If you’re familiar with my style, you’ll know I’m into 1950s vintage dresses or just feminine style. Never been one to follow fashion trends cause my style has always been about self-expression. This is probably why my wardrobe is so eclectic. Lately, memories of a few little adventures from my childhood have been resurfacing through retro t-shirts I’ve found in thrift stores. Wearing superhero retro t-shirts has been an opportunity to reconnect and express that part of myself. And it lets me pay homage to some of those sweet, precious memories.

Retro Superman t-shirt worn here over a dress.

I remember when I was introduced to Superman as a 4-year-old. For weeks, Superman was all that my brothers and their friends talked about. The excitement was even more intense when the Superman movie was scheduled to be on tv one night. On that fateful night, I wanted to watch The Sound of Music on a different channel. I mean, it was seeing the trailer of the Von Trapp children dancing in formation and Maria singing The hills are Alive… on those green rolling hills that did it for me. There was no question, I WAS HOOKED!

Thus, began the showdown: 4-year-old Nina vs her 4 older brothers. Was it going to be Sound of Music or was it going to be Superman? The man of steel or the singing nun? Who was going to be the victor? The 4 little boys who waited to see the flying superhero or one very determined little girl? Mom had the final say. I revved up my last-born charm and it worked. Baby Nina had her way. My mom chose my movie! The boys were understandably livid (at first). As we settled into it though, they began to love Sound of Music as much as I did. Eventually, we watched Superman and loved it too.

Those are the kinds of sweet memories that come up when I see superhero t-shirts. I’ve always believed that style, like a fingerprint, is a very individual thing. It is and should always be about expressing who you are on the inside externally. It’s how from a style perspective, we validate our individuality, confidence and develop a stronger, more positive self-image. Allowing ourselves to be exposed to the plethora of styles that are served up in secondhand markets, thrift stores and garage sales helps further that process of fabulous self-discovery and expression. Following fashion trends on the other hand can be fun but they can slow down personal growth through secondhand sustainable fashion. Not to mention the fact that trends contribute heavily to overconsumption and fashion’s environmental crisis.

Another cool thing about secondhand clothes is that consumers reduce their carbon footprint by 82% when they buy used items instead of new items according to Global Fashion Agenda and Boston Consulting Group. They believe that the CO2 emissions of the clothing industry will likely rise to about 2.8 billion tonnes a year within a decade. This level of emissions is equivalent to that produced by about 230 million cars driven within a year!

♥ Nina Gbor

Insta: @eco.styles

Secondhand fashion, trash and inequality: how the global North continues to colonise

For decades, we’ve acted on the notion that donating our unwanted clothes to thrift stores is charitable, a way to extend the life cycle of our clothes and to reduce fashion waste to landfill. This is all true.

To an extent.

With the increasing rise of fast fashion over the last two decades and an estimated 150 billion being manufactured each year, this notion has become malignant for the most part.

With this mass onslaught, came the reduction in clothes quality.

A huge portion of our unsold second-hand garments from thrift stores, clothing bins, charity collections and the like get shipped to countries in the global South for profit, also often under the guise of charity.

Considering this linear process has been increasing in the last couple of decades, do we ever think about what happens to our fashion castoffs once they hit foreign shores? Or question if this growing linear loop is healthy or is it creating an environmental disaster elsewhere in the world?

Have we thought to consider whether poorer nations need our ‘charity’ or do they, perhaps need justice and equity?

How did this all begin for me?

I was born in Nigeria, grew up in the USA, and lived in Nigeria (West Africa) as a teenager. A vivid memory from my teenage years combines my love of style and my later studies in international development.

It was one of the happiest days of my life. It was the day I began shopping for secondhand clothes as a teenager in Nigeria.

They were all imported from countries in the global North (the richest countries in North America, Europe, and Australia).

The sight of colourful, vintage, retro and trendy fashion in a shop window grabbed me by the throat and drew me into the thrift store like it was Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Seeing the eclectic range of fashion styles from different eras was like being in Aladdin’s cave of treasures.

I was spellbound for several hours playing dress-up until the shop closed.

Little did I know that that was the eureka moment that would shape my life purpose and career in sustainable fashion and international development.  I frequented these shops as often as I could with a kind of ferocious enthusiasm that I had never experienced before that day.

Credit: Zigguarat Fashion Emporium

But as time went on, I began to sense a brewing inequality that came from observing the impact that imported second-hand clothes were having on the local environment and the local textile industry.  

Where I am today

I live in Sydney, Australia, now. And my teen years in Nigeria is not just a memory but a touchstone that is still revisited through my work as a sustainable fashion educator, consultant and climate advocate.

ABC Australia aired a documentary called The Environmental Disaster that is Fuelled by Used Clothes and Fast Fashion. It exposed the lives of shipped second-hand clothes and those that handle them as they arrive on the shores of Kantamanto Market in Accra, Ghana in West Africa.

As someone originally from West Africa, this issue hits very close to home.

In July 2020, I wrote another article about the quandary African countries are forced into because of secondhand imports. Today’s article is using the ABC documentary as a case study to scrutinise the implications of our addiction to shopping, overconsumption and the hidden inequalities that surround secondhand fashion exportation.

Moreover, to face the reality that the problem is far rooted in neocolonialism, imperialist and neoliberal systemic inequalities. And how we can dismantle these systems to bridge the gaps of inequality and global justice for more permanent, genuine development in poorer countries. Which ultimately could have a knock-on effect on helping to reduce fashion’s impact on climate change.

Kantamanto market, Accra, Ghana. Image: ABC Australia

The Documentary

The documentary investigated the journey of exported secondhand clothes from their arrival at Kantamanto market in Accra to the very end of their life cycle. The market is one of the largest markets in West Africa.

From there, clothes get shipped to other African countries.

The ABC reporter, Linton Besser, explored this from 3 perspectives:

1.     the experiences of a second-hand clothes importer,

2.     a reseller

3.     the city’s waste manager.

For several decades, second-hand clothes have been shipped from richer countries in the global North to countries in the global South (poorer countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America).

These clothes are shipped in bales for resale and reuse. The population of Ghana is 30 million, while at the same time, 30 million garments are imported every week.

This trade has created tens of thousands of jobs in the receiving countries including Ghana over the years. The amount of clothes being shipped continues to increase significantly and the quality of clothes being shipped continues to decline dramatically.

So, what were these 3 perspectives?

Emmanuel Ajaab, The Importer

Importing second-hand clothes ‘wholesale’ is Mr Emmanuel Ajaab’s livelihood. Importers have to pay upfront sometimes as much as $95,000 for a container with no guarantee if the clothes inside it are any good. Mr Ajaab pays $92 for a bale of clothes with about 180 – 200 pieces. In the film, one of his bales was opened to reveal that only 7 items out of the entire lot were saleable!

The rest had to be thrown away because they were dirty, stained or damaged in some way. This is very common in this trade. An estimated 40% are of such poor quality they are deemed worthless on arrival and end up dumped in landfill.

In a conversation laden with disappointment and bolstered by anger, Mr Ajaab said "In Europe and UK and Australia, America they think Africa here, we are not like human beings... Because what they are giving to us is like- even if somebody knocks on your door and you want to help, you cannot give, pick something from your dustbin and give to the person. So, in this case, it's like they are doing this to us.” He is right. We are literally shipping our trash to countries in the South. And worst of all, many people in the North add insult to injury by calling it charity.

This reeks of racism.

Aisha Iddrisu, The Reseller

The sustainable fashion movement often advocates for justice and equality for garment workers who make new clothes primarily in Asia. The plight of secondhand garment workers is rarely mentioned. Until now. In the documentary, we got a rare glimpse into the life of a female second-hand garment worker named Ms Aisha Iddrisu, with her 18-month-old toddler.

Aisha collects a bale of clothing from importers weighing approximately 50kgs to sell. With her toddler tied to her back, she carries the bale on her head and walks to her destination. Ms Iddrisu lives from hand to mouth as she makes less than $5 a day which is well below the global poverty line and not enough for daily expenses.

Aisha Iddrisu and son Sharif. Image credit: Andrew Greaves (ABC)

Ms Iddrisu says she is often exhausted and sore and has to take painkillers before bed. She says many second-hand garment workers get injured to the point where they’re no longer able to work and have to be sent back home to rural towns and villages where they came from.

Most of them experienced internal displacement by conflict or unemployment which forced them to move to big cities like Accra to seek employment. Ms Iddrisu also lives in a small room with her child and 5-6 other women.

*It’s very interesting that the lifestyle of secondhand garment workers like Ms Iddrisu is nearly identical to that of garment workers in other parts of the South who make brand new clothes for fashion brands. 

Solomon Noi, The City’s Waste Manager (Environmental impact in Accra)

Mr Solomon Noi, The Director of the Waste Management Department at Accra, took us on an excursion in the documentary to see what happens to the unsaleable clothes. About 15 million used clothes come into Accra every week from Australia, the US, UK and Europe and fill the Kantamanto Market according to Mr Noi.

He also said “this place is serving as a dumping ground for textile waste in the name of second-hand clothing. Close to 40% of whatever shipments are coming daily ends up being complete chaff of no value.” In other words, imported fashion waste has turned parts of Ghana into toxic landfill. Because each week 6 million garments deemed waste from Kantamanto Market end up being dumped in landfill, the city of Accra is saddled with the task of finding a place to dispose of 160 tonnes of textile waste every day.  

Image: ABC Australia

The environmental damage in Accra is very real

Whenever the monsoon rainy season hits, the unwanted garments that litter the streets and trash are washed into the city’s waterways where they cause blockages.

The massive downpour of rain also washes unwanted clothes into the ocean where they sit at the ocean bed, choke aquatic animals and become entangled in the motors of fisherman’s boats. They also litter the beaches and get buried deep in the sand to the point where they must be dug out.  

The area designated as landfill in Accra was meant to last 15 years before being filled up but instead, it’s been filled up within 5 years because of imported fashion textile waste.

The city is now forced to use unregulated areas and means of disposing of this trash such as burning it which blackens the city’s skies. A significant majority of the clothes are made of synthetic textiles (such as polyester, nylon and spandex) that take hundreds of years to decompose. Thus, leaving neighbourhoods in Accra with mountains of waste pollution that will cast a toxic impact on current and future generations.

Credit: Ted Christian Andrea

All three perspectives are important. And voices like those of Mr Ajaab, Ms Idrisu and Mr Noi need to be at the centre of the discussions.

As someone with a solid background in both the global South and global North, who has studied international development, works in the sustainable fashion space and has first-hand experience of these markets, I’d like to add my perspective.

Economic and ecological observations of a teenage fashion lover in Nigeria

1. Environment

As much as I loved secondhand shopping as a teenager in Nigeria, I got a lot of anxiety from seeing a massive portion of imported clothes ending up as mountains of trash mixed with household trash.

These trash mountains were situated in and around residential areas. Whenever it rained, the rain would seep through these mountains, washing through the synthetic textiles, releasing toxic groundwater (build-up of chemicals) that would flow into freshwater bodies that people used for drinking, household consumption and farming.

Toxic groundwater reduces soil fertility and can potentially become acid rain (meaning it can evaporate with the toxic chemicals and then turn into rain, then rain the toxins across a wider area). Toxic rain and groundwater alter the pH levels of freshwater bodies. It can be hazardous or deadly to some marine species.

Credit: itv UK

2. Local fashion and textile industry

There was another observation that I made as a teen that I would later come to realise was deeply rooted in a sinister, structural inequality. Many of the local tailoring shops, traditional, local fashion businesses that fuelled the local textile and fashion industry were closing down.

They could not compete with the oversupply of cheap, used fast fashion.

So, it was destroying the local clothing industry from developing and furthermore, strengthening the nation’s economy could lead to poverty reduction.

This was also featured in the documentary when it pointed out that “Western castoffs are so cheap that local textile makers can't compete. Since the 1980s their output has fallen by as much as 75%. Traditional African clothing has now become too expensive for everyday wear.” 

Credit: UNHCR

Structural inequality: the colonial, neoliberal and imperialist dynamic between global North and South

What would it mean for the South if millions or even billions of dollars were appropriated towards the development of its industries?

It was said in the documentary, “every year as many as 4 million tonnes of used textiles are shipped across the planet in a trade estimated to be worth $4.6 billion.”

If figures like this were invested directly into cultivating the nascent local fashion and textile industries within countries of the South, it could potentially lead to a boom in their economies, poverty reduction and bridging some of the inequality gaps.     

So why isn’t this already happening? Because it would make these countries more self-reliant, and less dependent on the North for aid, loans and assistance. Why is this an issue?

The North would lose its power grip over the South. And with it, the ability to rob the South of raw materials, resources, cheap or free labour, wealth and other benefits of postcolonialism. Herein lies the root cause of this systemic inequality and oppression of the South. 

Some countries in the South want to break out of this type of dynamic but are unable to because of the complexities of the situation.

Rich nations have all the bargaining power over the South when it comes to international trade agreements, policies, reforms and creditor arrangements with poorer countries. They leverage these powers for their own interests and build up their own industries.

Credit: Review of African Political Economy

The power stronghold began in the colonial era (arguably from mid to late 19th century to mid-20th century). During which the North ravaged the South for gold, slaves, land, silver and cheap labour to develop their industries and economies. This created a massive income gap that placed the North firmly in a position of power.

But colonialism didn’t stop in the middle of last century. It shapeshifted.

Through imperialist and neoliberal policies like illicit debt reforms, trade arrangements, etc, colonisation lives on within the global political and economic systems.  

To the point where the income gap between North and South is now about four times bigger than it was in the 1950s. Richer countries have created structural inequalities that keep poorer countries from executing policies that would grow their economies, reduce poverty and establish power over their own development.

This is the overarching systemic oppression that keeps the South poor, vulnerable and seemingly in need of aid. It’s why the North for many decades has consistently been able to ship its ‘garbage’ to the South.

Consider and reflect…

The ABC documentary and my personal experience in Nigeria tell the stories of secondhand clothes in two West African countries. But the truth is that these types of stories happen in hundreds and possibly thousands of other towns and cities in the global South that receive used clothing.

Each place will have its own story of how fashion waste has been toxic to its environment, communities and landfill.

And if we were able to see each story within each city in the world, I believe the true extent of the global fashion waste crisis would make us gasp in absolute horror.

If we’re seeking solutions, it’s necessary we look at the dilemma with a wider lens and from multiple angles. This will equip solutions with a stronger chance of being permanent. Applying a holistic approach is crucial for this process. Here are some factors to reflect on and consider.

• The fashion waste crisis exists because as consumers, we’re addicted to shopping. And fashion brands produce far too many clothes. According to American Fashion Waste Campaigner, Liz Ricketts, in the documentary, a lot of fashion brands overproduce by up to 40%. Waste is part of the business model of fashion. And overall, about 150 billion garments are being manufactured each year. Overconsumption is the key issue here. It’s as if we’re trying to consume our way into our own extinction.

• It’s actually the South that’s developing the North, not the other way round. This is a fact based on the colonial, imperialist and neoliberal structures of material extraction, production, and economic growth. From the colonial era to date, the established model has been set up in ways that the South often provide much of the raw materials and labour that goes into growing the economies of the North. Sadly, the South too often has to deal with the environmental repercussions of this system. As for the socio-economic implications, the poorest half of humanity is still in the South.

• The creation of jobs from imported secondhand clothes in developing countries is a huge benefit. At the same time, it has been a major roadblock for countries trying to grow their own textile and clothing industries which can help boost their economies, reduce poverty and create thriving businesses with secure employment for the population.  

• Banning secondhand fashion imports by governments in the South to support the growth of the internal clothing industry seems like a viable option for poorer countries. However, if a ban is suddenly imposed, it would plunge many garment workers such as Ms Iddrisu into destitution. A more viable option would be to gradually scale down the number of clothes that get shipped each year. While introducing alternative careers, businesses and other opportunities correspondingly. Realistically this will require planning and the support of local governments, the private sector or not-for-profit organisations.

• The ferocious increase in the pursuit of material stuff over several centuries has brought us here. To a place and time where the world is rife with inequalities and oppressions that affect so many. If you dig deep and then dig even deeper again, you’re likely to discover that at the core, it’s all about materialism. Our world has been designed (by us) in a way where material is king. Therefore, whoever holds the most, has the power because materialism fuels power. At the time in our history when this notion became the guiding principle of humanity, that was the beginning of our downfall. Overvaluation of material stuff, be it money, raw materials, etc was and is arguably the driver of colonialism, neocolonialism, imperialism and neoliberalism. It’s the underlying factor that sometimes underpins big capitalism to focus purely on profit at all costs regardless of lives damaged/lost and despite environmental damage levied on the planet. Materialism also pushes individuals (us) to overconsume and devalue empathy, justness, our intuitive guidance, connection and community.

• Banning the import of used clothing can have economic and political risks for Southern states. As stated above, rules prevent some poorer countries from refusing to accept the ‘trash’ of the North. They risk sanctions, trade opportunities or being blacklisted in the global political and economic network. It’s unjust and unfair. It makes these countries pawns in the game instead of equal partners with capabilities to decide their own fate.  

• Through the stories revealed in the documentary, the racist implications of shipping unwanted items are made visible. On several occasions, I’ve spoken at sustainable fashion events where heads of clothing charities and secondhand clothing exportation businesses here in Australia give themselves a huge pat on the back while bragging about how many tonnes of secondhand clothes, they ship to the South each year. When I bring their attention to the social and environmental consequences of their actions on the countries they ship to, they continue to insist that they’re doing very good work. They emphasise that their work is charitable (which it is in some instances). They respond by saying that the clothes they send are desperately needed and wanted by people in the receiving countries. The supremacy coming from these people is undeniable and it has to change.

• Where consumers are concerned, too often people donate unwanted clothes to charity shops in deplorable conditions like unwashed, dirty, or damaged, knowing that many of those clothes will eventually get shipped to poorer countries. It feels like a testament to their lack of respect or regard towards the people who will receive them. From my experience, people who donate damaged clothes still believe themselves to be charitable even in dumping unusable clothes. The other reason is that they either can’t be bothered to take their unwanted clothes to the tip/the dump or they do not want to pay the fees required in doing so. The disposal costs are then shifted to charity shops. If respect and empathy existed, the situation would be different.

• This notion of shipping our ‘trash’ in the name of charity goes far beyond the fashion industry. This concept happens in similar patterns within other industries like automobile and tech for instance.                           

Where do we go from here?

Now that we’ve uncovered some of the ways that this global issue is far more gargantuan than meets the eye, it deserves to be addressed through multiple concepts that incorporate holistic and thorough considerations. The purpose is to elicit more permanent solutions based on fairness, equality and justice.

Image: ABC Australia

1. Quality control in shipping

The intuitive, simple and straightforward solution to shipping unsaleable clothes is to impose quality control with all shipped clothes to ensure they are of saleable quality. And of course, this means everything we donate must be of decent quality and in good condition.

Currently, only about 10% of shipped, used clothes are of saleable/usable quality (according to the observation of Mr Ajaab’s bale in the documentary). With standard controls, the amount of clothing being sent will drop down by about 90%.

This means less environmental pollution in countries like Ghana will be far less.

It’s fair and just for importers like Mr Ajaab who pay huge sums for bales with only 10% value.

As for the rest of us in the North, we’ll immediately be confronted with about 90% of used clothes on our shores that previously would have been shipped.

The good news? Having this on our shores, quickly filling up our landfills is a challenge that will hopefully force us to address our addiction to material things and overconsumption.  

Image credit: A Thrift Mrs

2. Drop the saviour complex! The South needs justice and equity, not charity

To counter the inequalities and racism of this big dilemma, the cardinal rule for all interactions and agreements with the South must be to operate from a place of equality and justice, not charity.

Banishing the notion of aid and the mindset of the saviour complex is critical. If the North had never colonised the South, the South would still exist and might very well be thriving. So, drop the saviour complex.

I mentioned earlier it’s actually the South developing the North and not the other way round. Aid is given to the global South by the North each year, but the amount taken out of the South from the North each year is up to 24 times the aid the South gets! This is because an estimated $2 trillion streams from the North to the South every year in the form of aid, investments and loans.

Meanwhile, $5 trillion dollars flows back from the South to the North each year, meaning the North takes $3 trillion dollars a year from poorer countries.

This is made possible by international trade rules structured in ways that enable the North to receive cheap resources and cheap labour at the most unjustifiable and unfairly minimal prices.

Also, through crooked financial transactions like interest on debts already paid, tax evasion and illegal financial transfers by large international corporations.

Reflect: even though humans in the South supply the biggest chunk of resources and labour towards the global economy, every year the most impoverished 60% of people on the planet get only 5% of the fresh income that is created through global economic growth. The remaining goes to those who have already been wealthy. Justice is the solution here, not more aid, charity or used stuff.  

Image: Capacity Media

3. Dismantle Systems of Injustice: Neocolonialism, imperialism and neoliberalism

The key part of this process is giving equal voting power to countries of the South within international trade rules and with global financial institutions such as the World Bank and IMF.

The power to decide their fate and future can shift circumstances in their favour.

The South has about 85% of the world’s population yet only has less than 50% of the votes that will determine their fate. These financial institutions have been set up in ways that give wealthier countries all the power to hamper poorer ones from creating progressive policies that will develop their industries such as fashion for instance.

This is the biggest injustice that keeps the South dependent and vulnerable. It’s the smokescreen that creates the illusion that they’re constantly in need of aid. Meanwhile, the truth all along has been that equality is absent from the entire situation.

With equity via equal voting power and fair rules of trade, it’s far easier to dismantle neoliberal, imperialist, neocolonial systems and bring genuine balance, harmony and equality to the global system.

When there is power balance, poorer countries will have the audacity to refuse trade agreements and other regulations that are not in their own best interests such as shipments of ‘trash’ from wealthier countries. They will stand on equal footing with their Northern counterparts. Dismantling oppressive systems is how equality and justice can be won for the South, allowing clothing & textiles and other industries in the South to fully blossom and thrive.  

4. Face our personal and collective demons of overconsumption                                               

We’re each responsible for tempering our shopping and consumption habits. One key part of this is letting go of the need to use fashion trends or material things and products to boost our self-worth or self-esteem.

Here’s where we can remove shopping and the accumulation of material things from the highest pedestal of human life and replace them with personal growth, connection and community development.

The progression of humanity and individuals does not depend on the acquisition of products and material things.

Endless consumption is not the purpose of our existence. At the current rate, we’re consuming ourselves into a state of obliteration.    

Image credit: Getty

5. Human progress over material stuff

To reverse material overvaluation, it’s critical that we place empathy, justness, intuitive guidance, human lives, genuine connections and community well above any notion, policy, trade agreement. And most of all, it’s critical that we do this in our personal lives. Fawning over ‘material kings’ does not help matters. Instead, we can question them about the human beings involved and the environmental impact of their material wealth accumulation. It’s far more helpful if we fawn over communities with opportunities, healthcare, amenities and education for everyone.

6. Scale down production. Drastically!                                                                  

Major (fast) fashion brands and big corporations in other industries need to stop overproduction. Profiteering through planned obsolescence should be banned. It’s possible through a plan to implement drastic scaling down of resource use in ways that restore harmony and balance with the planet.

This is an adjustment that must be executed with care so that it’s safe, equitable and fair for garment workers, ecosystems and the rest of the earth. Profits previously accumulated by these brands from cheap labour and resources extraction can and should be redistributed to support and improve the lives and communities of garment workers in the South.

What’s fundamental here is the necessity for fast fashion brands to shift from the capitalist model of endlessly accumulating profits at all costs (regardless of the harm done to people and the planet). And also quit the addiction to financial growth over human life and planetary health, even if it’s in the name of economic growth.

Economic growth as it stands today drives the cycle of pillaging the earth for raw materials, overproducing, overconsuming and then dumping the burden of disposal onto poor countries who are forced to take the social and environmental fall for this model.

It’ll be a sad story if humanity becomes extinct all in the name of economic growth.

Instead, we can turn things around by removing profits as society’s measure of success and replacing it with massive advancements in healthcare, education, environmental regeneration, rehabilitating landscapes, the arts, teaching and renewable energy. 

Dress by Cameroonian designer, La Vie by Claude Kanemi. Credit: La Vie by Claude Kanemi

7. Support (and learn from) the development of fashion industries in the South

Historically, the business model of most fashion industries in the South has never involved cheap, mass-produced disposable garments. Slow fashion and sustainable production was an unspoken aspect of their business model. There is much to learn from the artisans and makers of the South that has been ignored and disregarded for far too long.

There are many ways to do this like buying and promoting products from brands, designers and makers to help their businesses gain a wider and global reach.

Nonetheless, to help develop the entire industry to self-sufficiency, it’s most vital to scrutinise rules and policies within existing and future trade agreements with developing countries that could hinder the growth of their clothing industries in any way. We can demand this from governments of richer countries.

Buying from and promoting communities, cooperatives, social enterprises and brands in the South is far less racist and a better way to bridge inequality gaps than sending them trash.

Dress by Nigerian designer, Mae Otti. Credit: Mae Otti

♥ Nina Gbor

Instagram: @eco.styles

Secondhand September

Secondhand monochrome outfit.

I chose these monochrome secondhand looks to herald the start of Spring here in the merry land of Oz (Australia) and to also mark the beginning of this year’s annual Second Hand September campaign by Oxfam, UK. I’ve been shopping secondhand since I was a kid, long before sustainable fashion was a movement and before it was seen as cool to shop secondhand. I started my career in sustainable fashion career years ago by styling glamourous secondhand pieces on Instagram to inspire people to take out the stigma of wearing used clothes. It thrills me that the mainstreams world has finally embraced it and campaigns like this one help further normalise wearing used clothes.  

Monochrome outfit restyled to look casual using a t-shirt, white sneakers and crossbody bag.

The purpose is to give clothes a longer life by promoting the use of secondhand shopping and donating. The goal is to promote clothing waste reduction to landfill, reduce fashion’s impact on the climate crisis.  87% of all unwanted textiles are sent to landfill or incinerated while 12% is recycled mechanically by being broken down into fibre, rags or material for insulation. Only about 1% is chemically recycled back to reusable raw materials. The fashion industry is partially responsible for the climate crisis. 95% of textile waste can be reused or recycled. Buying and donating secondhand clothes gives them a longer life by delaying or stopping them from ending up in landfill. This slows down the consumption of fast fashion which contributes to protecting the planet, its people and reducing fashion’s contribution to climate change. 

And by shopping secondhand, we’re reinvesting money into vital work of charity shops like reducing poverty and other worthy causes like inequality and illnesses. 

How Secondhand September works? Throughout September, buy only secondhand clothes online (if you need to shop) or in your local op shop. And also donate clean, quality items to op shops/thrift stores. And then share your one-of-a-kind finds in your socials with the hashtag #SecondHandSeptember.

Smart casual look using square pattern monochrome jacket.

STYLING

About 99% of my large wardrobe is secondhand. I chose these monochrome, Audrey Hepburn-60s inspired ensembles with a kind of 'je ne sais quoi' vibe to them. I’ve used a monochrome rah-rah skirt, vintage hat and tan belt to create a glamourous and sophisticated, the reused the 3 pieces to create a casual look with sneakers, a t-shirt and a few more pieces. 

Restyling interchangeable pieces in your closet to create different outfits makes your wardrobe far more versatile which can minimise your temptation to buy more clothes and lead to less fashion waste going to landfill.

 ♥ Nina Gbor

Instagram: @eco.styles

Earth Day 2021: bringing back environmental harmony

Image: Lukasz Szmigiel

The very first Earth Day to support environmental protection was in 1970. Earth Day is an annual event on April 22nd that has gained tremendous momentum globally since its inception. So, let’s look at a few environmental facts about the current state of the earth in 2021:

Paris Agreement - with the promises made by countries under the agreement, it sets us on a trajectory of about 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, where 30 – 50% of existing species could go extinct by the end of the century.

Food agriculture - average yields of food crops are likely to reduce by 30%, triggering famines in several parts of the world which will cause political and social disasters.

Displacement from climate change - according to Nature, about 1.5 billion people (climate refugees) will be displaced as some regions will become uninhabitable.

Deforestation – 50% of the earth’s tropical forest have been cleared off in the last 50 years.

Soil depletion – Industrial monoculture has destroyed 40% of global topsoil used for food agriculture faster than it can be replenished. We have 60 years of harvest left with our topsoils at the current trajectory according to UN scientists.

Biodiversity loss – between 1970 and 2016, we’ve destroyed 83% of wild mammals and 50% of all plants with an average 68% decrease in population sizes of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish. The extinction rate is up to 1000 times faster than prior to the industrial revolution.

Emissions causing climate breakdown – the global North (richer countries) is responsible for 92% of emissions that cause climate breakdown, while the global South (poorer countries) is responsible for 8%.

Capitalism – it’s the reason for these high emissions. As the only economic system that demands constant material growth, it means endlessly plundering the earth for raw materials. It peddles the myth that we need to keep consuming a lot of fossil fuels & raw materials in order to thrive. But this lie is killing the planet and will destroy us too.

I’m inspired by the resolve shown by many people this Earth Day to protect the earth. It’s noble to see many people joining the sustainability movement and changing their lifestyles. However, based on the current global economic trajectory, consumer action alone is not enough to avoid total ecological breakdown. We need to change our systems. And implement a law of balance in all areas to bring harmony back to the earth's ecosystems and with people. The narrow focus of material growth and accumulation as the pinnacle for human life on earth needs to change. Material things are tools to support life on earth, not the purpose of life itself.

♥ Nina Gbor

Instagram: @eco.styles

Curbing biodiversity loss in fashion's supply chain

Image: Chris Charles

‘Transforming the Fashion Sector to Drive Positive Outcomes to Drive Biodiversity, Climate and Oceans’ is a new initiative with $4 million in funding to cut biodiversity loss in the fashion supply chain. Biodiversity loss and climate change are two out of nine planetary boundaries. In a previous article, I wrote about how fashion impacts climate change and suggestions for collectively setting a net-zero trajectory. Fashion’s impact on biodiversity loss, however, has gotten less coverage than climate change.

The current state of biodiversity loss

Biodiversity loss according to Britannica is “a decrease in biodiversity within a species, an ecosystem, a given geographic area, or Earth as a whole.” Global biodiversity loss has recently been calculated to be 100 to 1000 times higher than how it should occur naturally (or by the pre-industrial revolution). And this extinction rate is accelerating. We’ve destroyed 83% of wild mammals and 50% of all plants with an average 68% decrease in population sizes of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish between 1970 and 2016. With about 200 to 2,000 extinctions estimated to be occurring each year, that comes to roughly 2 million extinctions. We are destroying the Earth’s biocapacity by at least 56% to fuel our 21st-century lifestyles driven by capitalism, overconsumption, over-exploitation of natural resources, climate change, pollution and land-use change. 30 - 50 % of existing species are projected to be extinct by the end of the century.

The threat to humanity

As the planet is facing its sixth mass extinction, biodiversity loss is one of the greatest risks facing humanity on earth. It’s impacting all life on the planet presently and will do so for millions of years into the future. In the pursuit of economic growth, colossal amounts of aquatic, terrestrial and marine ecosystems have been annihilated. Capitalist activities have wrecked the biodiversity that all life in water, in air and on land depend upon. In this sense, we’re being our own worst enemy.

Image: Europeana

Amongst other factors, biodiversity loss threatens food security. The services rendered to humanity by the ecosystems are undeniably valuable to the existence and wellbeing of human beings. Services such as water purification, carbon sequestration, crop pollination and flood protection. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has calculated the worth of the services provided by ecosystems in the world at $125-140 trillion (US dollars) per year. That’s more than one and a half times the size of global GDP! Immediate action is necessary to address the loss of the biodiversity that feeds the world and maintains the balance and harmony of life on the planet.  

Fashion is taking action

We’re well aware that fashion is one of the biggest culprits amongst industries that contribute to environmental damage and biodiversity loss. As the demand for clothing gets bigger, the impact on the earth’s raw materials and therefore biodiversity loss will also increase. On the current trajectory, the fashion industry is expected to use 35% more land for the production of fibre by the year 2030. This is an extra 115 million hectares that can be left alone to preserve biodiversity. The good news is that fashion is starting to address its role in biodiversity loss within its supply chains.

The Fashion Pact is an international coalition whose signatories represent about a third of the fashion industry by volume with 60 signatories representing over 200 brands. In 2020 The Pact committed to biodiversity restoration and protection. The plan is for the ‘Transforming the Fashion Sector to Drive Positive Outcomes to Drive Biodiversity, Climate and Oceans’ initiative to develop and provide guidance to The Pact on best practice for reducing deforestation, clean supply chain and better agricultural practices. The hope is that fashion will eventually curb biodiversity loss through regenerative approaches to agricultural supply chains and by reducing carbon emissions while improving the lives of producers.

The endless pursuit of material growth for overconsumption means constantly plundering the earth for raw materials to manufacture products to sell for financial gain. It has turned the worst parts of humanity into agents of destruction, threatening to eliminate the firm support given to us by the earth for our continual existence. Instead, we can allow nature and the ecosystems to remain natural and thereby flourish. The result? We will reap a joyful upbuilding of the planet that’s far healthier, balanced, harmonious and equitable for all species including humans.

♥ Nina Gbor

Instagram: @eco.styles