The Thrifting Life : How Thrift Fashion saves more than your budget

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Over the summer I spent some time working at Accradotalt, organizers of the Chalewote street art festival and general safe space for Ghanaian artists and art enthusiasts. During this time, I worked on a project about thrifting and thrift fashion in Accra which is in part the inspiration for this post.

My first meet with the crew happened at the Kempinski Hotel, we were there to see the opening of Zohra Opoku’s Sasa exhibit. The really quite obnoxiously fancy hotel was a far cry from the spaces I would be navigating in the rest of my time working there and I remember being slightly uncomfortable, as I usually am in spaces like that.

I walked straight into the gallery space and the very first person I saw, really drawing your eyes immediately to him, was Steloo.

If you are unfamiliar with him, Steloo is an electronic DJ with the most impeccable dress sense of any man I’ve ever met. I remember being stunned to see the khaki jumpsuit covered on the right breast with hilarious pins and the wax print head cover that I’d seen and gushed over on Instagram standing there literally right before my eyes.

I said a shy hello, walked around the rest of the gallery and left to meet the rest of the ADA crew.

Later that night, I worked up the confidence to attempt an actual conversation with Steloo, and I still remember it now. He talked about how he dressed the way he did because it felt natural to him, that sometimes people thought it was an act, but it really just felt right to him.

Throughout our conversation, I kept looking at his sunglasses because they were really quite beautiful, shaped like the 90s Raybans that made a comeback earlier this year, with what looked like brass hardware. I had to ask where he got them, and he answered simply, Kantamanto.

If you’re unfamiliar with it, Kant is the biggest thrift market in W. Africa most probably, and you can find pretty much anything there. Second hand Huaraches in olive and orange, leather backpacks, jewelry on the cheap, great accessories, even fur coats- literally anything. Up until this summer I had never been there, and a friend who was also working at ADA showed me some of it, lol shoutout to Kpe. I was amazed that such a gem existed right under my nose because I am so big on thrifting when I’m abroad at school but had never really thought to look into that at home.

Granted, thrifting is a much more intense process in a sprawling market like Kanta over a Salvation Army where everything is size coordinated and color coordinated but it really is worth for the deals you get.

I hope this maybe moves you guys if you’ve never tried thrifting in Accra to try it. Thrifting is an amazing way to find unique pieces, develop your style without breaking the bank and also add in your small way to sustainability in fashion.

 

Peace, love, and funk,

Amoafoa.

 

Glasses – Kantamanto

Dress – Mango

Turtleneck – Uniqlo

Shoes – Mango

Scarf – Gifted

Earrings – My mother’s