As the sun set on a courtyard of shipping containers in Ghana’s capital Accra, young men and women in Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead and tie-dye tees bartered over army surplus jackets and Adidas sneakers while a live deejay spun Afrobeat classics.
The Vintage Gala, as 23-year old founders Prince Quist and James Edem Doe Dartey dubbed it, brought together a movement of young vintage enthusiasts pushing back against the global fast fashion industry by encouraging their peers to shop secondhand.
“If you wear clothes that were made back in the day…you’re helping the environment by not using the raw materials and other things needed to make new ones,” Quist said, seated in front of the booth for his and Dartey’s online shop, TT Vintage Store.
“The idea is just to inspire everyone to thrift vintage, because secondhand goods aren’t second-class stuff,” Dartey added. “Vintage shopping makes recycling even better.”
Ghana