Luxury resale platform Vestiaire Collective has partnered with nonprofit group the Or Foundation to sell a collection of upcycled clothing and accessories made from T-shirts, tapestries, denim and sweatshirts by designers in Ghana, according to a press release from the Or Foundation Friday.
Launched last week, the collection includes handbags, pants, jackets and sweatshirts made from materials sourced from Kantamanto Market in Accra, Ghana. The market is one of the largest secondhand clothing markets in the world, according to the release.
The Vestiaire partnership marks the first time the Or Foundation has sold on a luxury platform, per the release. The Or Foundation, based in Ghana, is an environmental justice organization that works to create solutions to the fashion waste crisis and provides business development and training to Kantamanto-based upcyclers and tailors.
“As a fellow organization that champions the resale community, we’re proud to partner with Vestiaire Collective to share and uplift the vibrant upcycling culture of Kantamanto with the world, and showcase the artistry of reuse and repair,” Liz Ricketts, co-founder and executive director of The Or Foundation, said in the release. “Our hope is that this collaboration inspires people to take a look into their closets and reconsider the value of their clothing.”
Money from the collection will be shared between the designers and the Kantamanto community through the Or Foundation’s Secondhand Solidarity Fund.
Meanwhile, Vestiaire Collective has made recent moves to boost the circular fashion economy. Last year, it banned 30 brands from being sold on its site that it considered fast fashion and harmful to the environment.
In August, Vestiaire Collective signed a petition calling to end taxation on secondhand apparel in the U.S.
About 15 million secondhand garments arrive at the Kantamanto Market each week from places such as the U.S., U.K., EU, China and Canada, and about 40% go unsold and leave the market as waste, per the release.
However, a May report from the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association stated that less than 5% of imported used clothing that arrives at the market for resale could be considered waste. A 2022 report from the Or Foundation echoed that figure.
