In November 2022 we partnered with @vestiaireco to host a delegation from Kantamanto in Paris for 14 days.
Our delegation - Pat, Kwaku, Janet, Abena, David, Huzeima, Mawuli, Fafa, Solomon, Sammy, Chloe, Juls, Enoch, Branson and Liz - went with a dual part mission:
1. Experience the other side of the secondhand supply chain, including fast fashion stores, sorting facilities and charities.
2. Meet with organizations, brands and policymakers to advocate for globally accountable EPR.
It was a necessary journey that brought new perspective to the work we all do.
It was also an important opportunity for the Global North to learn directly from members of the Kantamanto community.
It is imperative that Kantamanto’s voice and contribution to circularity, over decades, be centered within conversations about the future of the secondhand trade and within conversations about sustainability & the future of fashion more broadly. This rarely happens. To date, the relationship between the Global North and Global South has been one of sender and receiver with material flowing in one direction, where the “sender” is presumed to have all the authority and agency.
In October 2022, a delegation from Vestiaire Collective came to Ghana to work alongside us and members of the Kantamanto community. Vestiaire also worked with us to secure visas for our delegates, in addition to sponsoring our travel expenses. Circularity is about far more than material flows, circularity requires the redistribution of power and wealth. This is what that looks like.
This exchange with Vestiaire Collective is part of a multi-year collaboration that seeks to establish a new relationship between resale economies in the Global North and Kantamanto, a relationship driven by justice and rooted in solidarity + reciprocity.
We look forward to sharing more details about the trip and our efforts to make EPR globally accountable in the coming days, and we hope that this model of solidarity inspires other actors within the Global North resale community to work towards justice by prioritizing the prosperity of Kantamanto and communities like it.
#theorfoundation
Originally posted on Instagram
Негізгі бет Kantamanto in Paris: Bridging Secondhand Fashion & Global Justice
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