Second Hand Craft: A Kenyan Conversation

Vicky Ngari - Kenyan British Sustainable Fashion Designer and Founder of The Rural Retail

In Kenya, the selling of second-hand clothes coming from the UK and USA is huge business. It’s a social sport for many women from different social classes. As a small girl, a lady visited our house with an assortment of these bundles known as ‘Mtumba’. My mother’s friends shared stories over drinks as they rummaged while scanning over all the individual pieces. Some garments were repaired, and I remember designer stilettos always caused some high-spirited debates over who would be the new owner! Likewise casual supermarket trips would coincide with popping into the bustling community kiosks where women hung second-hand blouses and dresses. They would sit all day sharing stories. Each kiosk had its own speciality— you would always know who has the trousers and skirts, and there would be a different lady for t-shirts and menswear.

As Kenya attempts to open up its manufacturing capabilities for local fashion designers, one of the greatest challenges has been the sourcing of fabrics and accessories, affecting the ability of local designers to make clothes affordable. Our brand uses raw natural materials made by The Rural Retail community of women and youth, the barrier is distribution and shipping taxes to the global markets. Second hand clothing remains a valid business for our communities and part of a lifestyle for a large percentage of  Kenya’s population. The United Kingdom sends $42 million worth of items every year, but unfortunately many of them end up in landfills.

I visited Senegal recently, and chased down a man who was dressed head-to-toe in a patchwork tracksuit. It had little pieces of colourful different shaped fabrics sewn together into a modern two-piece tracksuit hoodie. He was confused at my awe that a local person made it. What if we stretched the concept of repairing to the system, even turning it inside out? What if second-hand clothes turned into second hand crafts?

Consider how the clothes so easily and cheaply send to Kenya from Britain could be turned into new clothes then sent back in a new fresh design— perhaps a collaboration between Kenyan craftspeople and UK designers for empires like H&M or & Other Stories (who already encourage in-store recycling). Mtumba designers in Kenya could re-work them into new designs, send them back as a bespoke collection promoting Mtumba Stories. Making African fashion trendy to solve diversity or economic opportunity has to consider African realities, centred in opportunity to also address climate change issues. There is an increasing frequency of hot days and nights in Kenya — these climate change issues will cause a reduction in crop quality and yields, resulting in a loss of income and livelihood for households, business and communities, according to a 2018 World Development paper How African SME Survive Climate Risk? Evidence from Kenya and Senegal.

The gift of Africa’s unmatched craftsmanship could be utilised to prevent clothes piling up on landfills. In other words, let’s clean up our mess by engaging Africa to stitch it all together again.

By Vicky Ngari - Kenyan British Sustainable Fashion Designer, Founder of The Rural Retail, Lecturer & Thought Leader and Liz Lenjo - Entertainment & IP Lawyer, Kenyan Policy Commentator, Kenyan Fashion Council Board Member