- Title: Trashion -- Ivorian designers convert trash into fashion
- Date: 24th October 2019
- Summary: MODELS AT END OF FASHION SHOW MODEL DANCING ON RUNAWAY, WEARING TOP MADE OUT OF RECYCLED MATERIAL, INCLUDING WATER BOTTLES
- Embargoed: 7th November 2019 14:37
- Keywords: Sustainable fashion recycled fashion trashion Fashion Green Day Environmentally conscious designers in Ivory Coast
- Location: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
- City: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
- Country: Ivory Coast
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Fashion
- Reuters ID: LVA005B2GH2S7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Glamourous models, innovative designers and fashion aficionados recently came together in Ivory Coast's economic capital Abidjan to promote eco-friendly fashion and sustainable designs.
The Fashion Green Day show presented the works of five Ivorian designers, who share a vision to make fashion a more environmentally conscious sector.
Fashion is one of the world's most damaging industries. It is responsible for about 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, according to Oxfam.
Organiser Massal Toure says that the show was born from the realisation that current trends are unsustainable in the long run.
"We have African designers who were already working with recycled material. But the idea is to bring them together, to the same platform. Because the fashion industry is one of the polluting industries in the world. So we need to look for ways to decrease the pollution. So it's not just plastics that pollutes, of carbon emissions, the fashion industry is also a big pollutant," Toure said.
Eco-fashion, also called sustainable fashion, is a part of the growing design philosophy and consumer trend, in which items are produced with consideration to the environmental and social impact they may have throughout their total life span, including their "carbon footprint".
Fashion designer Kipre Johar has been incorporating recycled material into his fashion since 2007.
Kipre says he was inspired to start using recycled material into his fashion, to try and solve one of Abidjan's major environmental sanitation challenges; waste disposal.
"I use anything that is recycled, because it also reduces the cost of making my clothes. Which means using recycled material vastly reduces the cost of production. So we can make more clothes and everyone would be able to get wear these designs," Kipre said.
Kipre's collection was amongst of the highlights at show, where models sauntered down the runway sporting clothes and accessories made from discarded waste, such as cans, raffia, plastic bags and bottles.
"This outfit is made out of cocoa sacs, it's made out of raffia and other recycled materials found in the streets," he said.
"I am really happy to find out that he uses recycled materials to create clothes that are wearable," added model Fatou Diane.
Kipre says he used around 50 to 80 plastic bags and about 20 cocoa sacs to create one outfit.
Kipre's recycled pieces cost between 85 USD and 170 USD, with of his clients consisting of expatriates living in Ivory Coast and abroad.
As African designers continue to make their mark in the world of fashion, more and more Ivorian designers are hoping to change people's mind sets and encourage them to be more environmentally aware, through the clothes that they wear
"There is still a lot of work to do, but we also plan to introduce training workshops and as also educate consumers. There are many things that can be recycled and re-used, you don't have to throw away everything. Even whatever we throw away, we can always look for ways to use it again and make it new," added Toure.
(Cheick Hamed Bleu, Lisa Ntungicimpaye) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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