In the bustling heart of Nairobi’s Gikomba Market, the clatter of traders and rustle of secondhand clothes give way to music, cheers, and the confident steps of models on a makeshift runway. Their bold, upcycled outfits, crafted from discarded denim, leather scraps, and rejected fabrics, glimmer under the afternoon sun, proving that creativity can thrive even in the most unlikely places.
Every year, Kenya receives thousands of tonnes of used clothing from Europe and the United States. In 2023, the country surpassed Nigeria to become Africa’s largest importer of secondhand clothes, according to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Many of these bales end up in Gikomba, a sprawling five-acre market that serves as a vital economic hub and fashion laboratory for young designers.
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At the Gikomba Runway Edition, upcycling took center stage. The event brought together Kenya’s underground fashion talents, including 25-year-old designer Morgan Azedy, who specializes in transforming waste into wearable art. “I always see the environment around me dirty… I wanted to control pollution,” he said while preparing his “Kenyan Raw” collection from his small home studio. His streetwear line blends gothic flair and recycled leather sourced entirely from dumpsites and factory rejects.
Fellow designer Olwande Akoth, known for her reimagined kimonos, once sold secondhand clothes but grew frustrated by the poor quality. “It’s just garbage… the clothes you can’t even wear, you wouldn’t even give to a beggar,” Akoth said. Today, her pieces stand as a bold statement against waste and a call for sustainable creativity.
Kenya imported about 197,000 tonnes of used clothes worth $298 million in 2023. Yet, the Environment for Development network estimates that nearly a third of these items end up in landfills, many made of polyester and nylon that never decompose. While the trade supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across East Africa, it has also stifled local textile industries. Attempts by regional governments to restrict imports were met with U.S. trade threats, leading only Rwanda to stand firm, at the cost of losing access to duty-free trade under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
By Risper Akinyi
