The most important secondhand market in Ghana, Kantamanto, is inspiring a brand new era of designers to assist a neighborhood trend scene.
Tourism is large in Ghana, the place I’m from, particularly now that extra persons are coming to have a good time Detty December. The nation’s rising inventive scenes, together with these within the arts, music, and trend, have but to be absolutely investigated.
Just lately, the style business particularly has flourished on this nation as an increasing number of younger folks take an curiosity in it and work to develop a method tradition that’s distinctive to their nation.
Though they’re affected by western media, native trend creatives have realized to increase on what they observe there. As a result of lack of retail presence of the vast majority of the glamorized widespread American and European manufacturers in Ghana, designers and stylists in Accra haven’t solely drawn on their ingenuity to create one thing out of nothing, however have additionally excelled in doing so.
Because of Kantamanto, a thriving thrift tradition has emerged in Accra. With the market simply accessible to everybody, folks in quest of trend objects can take a fast journey and get no matter they want.
Courtesy @dazedbeauty
✍️Bryan Benjamin
📸Christian Saint
🎬Kazeem Kuteyi pic.twitter.com/37YhvJpKyL— Nairobi trend hub (@FashionNairobi) August 4, 2022
Nevertheless, the enlargement of our trend ecosystem is not only depending on the creativity of those people but additionally on a market that existed a lot earlier than the style revolution. Ghana’s largest secondhand market is situated at Kantamanto. It’s the go-to location for cheap clothes and is credited with popularizing the phrase “Obroni Wawu,” which interprets to “Lifeless Man’s Garments.”
All of those clothes relaxation in Kantamanto Market, which can be a supply for designer items and unusual materials.
Accra now has a powerful thrift tradition because of Kantamanto. Everybody can readily entry the market, making it handy for these searching for fashionable equipment to make a fast journey and buy what they require.
Adom Gee, a self-taught stylist and designer, travels to Kantamanto a minimum of thrice each week since he wants to purchase material there for his clothes line, “Adom Gee The Model.” “Strolling round Kantamanto actually offers me the inspiration to provide extra,” he says.
As one of many new creatives shaking issues up within the trend area, Adom is grateful for a market like Kantamanto that permits him to create customized items for his model.
Courtesy of @Dazed
Textual content Bryan Benjamin
Images Christian Saint
Artistic Director Kazeem Kuteyi pic.twitter.com/kyxEcoKkPq— Nairobi trend hub (@FashionNairobi) August 4, 2022
He has expertise within the trend business and is conversant in each nook of this huge market to get what he wants, however even he acknowledges that “you by no means know what you’ll arrive and discover right here.”
“I really feel like Kantamanto will endlessly be a related a part of Ghana’s trend ecosystem” – Larley Lartey
As one of many up-and-coming designers, Adom is appreciative of markets like Kantamanto that allow him to design distinctive objects for his enterprise. His model of the Ghanaian rapper Kwesi Arthur and his African-inspired model designs are beginning to achieve him recognition.
Talking with model-turned-stylist Larley Lartey in Accra, she revealed that she first encountered Kantamanto throughout her faculty years, when she at all times aspired to be the good individual within the room.
Chatting with Accra-based model-turned-stylist, Larley Lartey, she says her historical past with Kantamanto goes again to her faculty days, when she at all times needed to be the the good individual within the room.
Courtesy @Dazed
✍️Bryan Benjamin
📸Christian Saint
🎬Kazeem Kuteyi pic.twitter.com/pEz7ncX14Z— Nairobi trend hub (@FashionNairobi) August 4, 2022
I distinctly recall leaving senior highschool in the midst of a category to go to Kantamanto and purchase some garments as a result of I needed to face out. In her styling job, Larley produces the seems to be she sees in her head utilizing Kantamanto, whether or not she buys a selected piece of clothes or makes it from scratch with material she finds available in the market.
Nevertheless, as extra people be part of her in utilizing Kantamanto for his or her trend necessities, she regrets that “the demand is bigger than the provision.” Lartley now works with a number of well-known Ghanaian musicians, together with as Stonebwoy and King Promise, and she or he hopes to work with overseas musicians like Dua Lipa or Kali Uchis sooner or later.
Nutifafa is a multihyphenate inventive who works as a mannequin, stylist, inventive director, and environmentalist. She takes satisfaction in having a particular viewpoint that doesn’t simply observe the newest traits. Younger and newly arrived in Accra, she quickly noticed that almost all of locals have been merely copying what they have been seeing within the west in the mean time.
Nevertheless, she dared to face out and has distinguished herself in her area. Her unconventional method to trend has been the key to her success within the business as she has labored on trend tasks in a wide range of positions, together with styling and inventive directing. As a result of she overtly claims that almost all of her clothes is secondhand from the market, Kantamanto serves as the muse for Nutifafa.
“Kantamanto is the supply for all luxurious clothes objects we often wouldn’t have entry to” Drip Drip Styling is a collective made up of three buddies Champagne, 40K Phyll and Webster, who’re rapidly gaining traction within the business.
Content material Courtesy @Dazed pic.twitter.com/I44ZU1nRIA— Nairobi trend hub (@FashionNairobi) August 4, 2022
Chances are you’ll uncover your sense of fashion at Kantamanto, she claims. Even whereas Kantamanto has its benefits, Nutifafa is anxious concerning the results the tons of clothes that arrive every week can have on the surroundings. She promotes recycling and repurposing of clothes by means of her firm Upcycled Ghana in an effort to cease this.
“Kantamanto is the supply for all of the high-end attire merchandise we usually wouldn’t have entry to,” – Fashion in Drip Drip
Champagne, 40K Phyll, and Webster are the three buddies who make up the collective Drip Drip Styling, which is swiftly rising to prominence within the area. After they first met at Kantamanto, they shared the goal of incomes cash by promoting used clothes, however they’ve since turn into well-known personalities within the styling sector.
The style revolution largest secondhand market in Ghana, Kantamanto is fuelling a brand new wave of creatives championing a trend tradition that’s distinctive to the West African nation.
Courtesy of @Dazed
Textual content Bryan Benjamin
Images Christian Saint
Artistic Director Kazeem Kuteyi pic.twitter.com/q7aOtvP2iK— Nairobi trend hub (@FashionNairobi) August 4, 2022
The group explains how easy it’s for them to find unusual attire in bales. As a fan of Prada luggage, 40K shows some merchandise from the high-end firm he discovered whereas thrifting. When describing a few of the difficulties they encounter, Champagne remarks that “the standard of the issues that come presently within the bales is declining.” Regardless of sure difficulties, the lads credit score their success in styling partly to the simply accessible sector they function in.
Along with styling some well-known figures within the African music business, the trio is increasing into designing for a model they’ve based known as D2 Necessities.
Content material courtesy of Dazed Digital & NHF
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