How Men in West Africa Repurpose the Waste of Fast Fashion
KK Obi and Jebi Labembika craft a fashion editorial exploring how second-hand clothes have influenced local style
KK Obi and Jebi Labembika craft a fashion editorial exploring how second-hand clothes have influenced local style
Like many men their age, two friends find themselves exposed to the arrival of second-hand clothes from container ships that dump excess goods and waste from the West. The garments they rescue will go to the market on their backs, on bicycles, on canoes; if they aren’t used, they will go back to the dump, to the beach.
Polo by BUZIGALLI; jeans by KENNETH IZE; layered jeans by JAWARA ALLEYNE
Left model: Hat and jumper by GUI ROSA; trousers by ACNE STUDIOS; shoes by MAX ALLEN. Right model: Crown, necklace and shoes by MAX ALLEN; jumper and leggings by LOEWE
Hat and belt by MAX ALLEN; blazer, vest, tights and boots by RAF SIMONS; sunglasses are stylist’s own
Hat by EVILKEBAB; cardigan, top and trousers by YVES SAINT LAURENT
From the shores of Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria and other parts of West Africa, these men wear the clothes they carry to the market: they become like stores. It’s show and tell, the hustle. They translate the excess of faraway places onto their bodies. Layering. Clothes everywhere. When you have limited resources, you have to be imaginative.
As boys, these men take on something that isn’t theirs but find a way to make it their own. How they dress, how they come up with looks, has resulted in so many subcultures born from this education: Congolese sapeurs, Botswana cowboys and more.
Hat by MAX ALLEN; shirt and trousers by PAULO CORZANO; second layered shirt and shoes by ACNE STUDIOS
Left model: Top by GUI ROSA; shorts and boots by XUESONG YANG; tights by SAMARA SCOTT; earrings by MAWI. Right model: Hat and belt by MAX ALLEN; top by SAMARA SCOTT; tights by RAF SIMONS; shoes by ACNE STUDIOS
Skullcap is stylist’s own; shirt by CHRISTIAN DIOR; T-shirt by JAWARA ALLEYNE; waistcoat and trousers by KENNETH IZE; loafers by GUCCI; jewellery on waistcoat by ZOHRA RAHMAN
Top by GUI ROSA; Shorts by XUESON YANG; tights by SAMARA SCOTT; earrings by MAWI
The West tells itself a sorry story when donating to African countries. Fashion brands will convince you they’re doing charity work when often they’re clearing factories. Dressing the local kid? That’s not what’s happening. A continent that doesn’t make these clothes shouldn’t have all this waste dumped on it.
Credits
Photographer: Jebi Labembika
Photo Assistants: Weimin Li, Zacharie Lewertoff
Set Design: Louis Gibson
Set Assistants: Nicole Fernandez Medina, Harry Goulding
Creative Director/Stylist: KK Obi
Stylist Assistants: Lara McGrath, Qasim Isah, Tashi
Grooming: Batiseol Gomis (Saint Luke)
Polo by GUCCI; jeans by KENNETH IZE; layered jeans by JAWARA ALLEYNE; boots by GUI ROSA
Hat and top by JAWARA ALLEYNE; coat by CHANEL; tights by GUCCI; shoes by ACNE STUDIOS; mesh sleeves by SAMARA SCOTT
Hat by MAX ALLEN; Shirt and trousers by PAULO CORZANO; second layered shirt and shoes by ACNE STUDIOS
Hat by EVILKEBAB; cardigan, top and trousers by YVES SAINT LAURENT
This article first appeared in frieze issue 237 with the headline ‘Overload’
KK Obi is curating a day of talks, fashion and music at the South London Gallery on 16 September to coincide with the ‘Lagos, Peckham, Repeat: Pilgrimage to the Lakes’ exhibition showing until 29 October
