By Belinda Atieno | Founder, Eco Fashion Week Africa
I have always said that Circular fashion is not a Western concept. It is deeply embedded in African cultures, traditions, and everyday practices long before it became a global buzzword. From reusing fabric scraps to repairing and repurposing clothes, African communities have practiced circularity out of necessity, creativity, and care for the environment.
But today, Africa is not just preserving these traditions, it is reimagining them. Across the continent, designers, stylists, and change-makers are turning waste into beauty, heritage into innovation, and fashion into a tool for systemic change.
As the founder of Eco Fashion Week Africa, I have seen first-hand how circular fashion is not only possible in Africa—it is already happening. Here’s what it looks like:
1. Upcycling as Art and Activism
Designers like Nkwo Onwuka (Nigeria), Return to Sender (Uganda), and JACQUEMUS Africa collect discarded clothing, deadstock fabric, or even secondhand textiles from local markets and turn them into high fashion. They use upcycling to tell stories about overconsumption, identity, and independence from Western waste streams.
2. The Wisdom of Repair and Reuse
In many African households, mending, stitching, and passing down garments are part of everyday life. This tradition is being elevated by contemporary tailors, fashion schools, and community workshops teaching visible mending and reuse as both fashion and skill.
At Eco Fashion Week Africa, this is brought to life by our co-founder, Ruth Anyango—founder of Dolly The Seamstress—who teaches people of all ages the art of repair and reuse. Through hands-on workshops, she helps revive this essential practice as both a creative skill and a sustainable lifestyle choice.
3. Circular Design from the Ground Up
Instead of designing for waste, circular fashion in Africa begins with the end in mind. Designers use natural fibers like cotton, sisal, raffia, or bark cloth, and prioritize biodegradable, low-impact materials. Some even grow their textiles or use indigenous dyeing techniques to reduce chemical use.
However, a growing concern is the shift toward fast and discardable fashion among some African designers who are imitating the unsustainable practices of the global North. At Eco Fashion Week Africa, we are actively challenging this trend. Our message is clear: instead of copying what went wrong in the West, we must learn from their mistakes and choose a more regenerative path. Circular design must stay rooted in sustainability, ethics, and African innovation—not overproduction.
4. Cultural Heritage as a Design Framework
Circularity in Africa isn’t just about material—it’s about mindset. It values community, stewardship, and resilience. Designers use heritage prints, traditional weaving, and local embroidery not as trends but as tools to build a future that remembers and restores.
5. Fashion Weeks as Educational Platforms
At Eco Fashion Week Africa, our runway is not just a show—it’s a statement. We spotlight zero-waste collections, host panel discussions on circularity, and bring artisans and innovators together to exchange knowledge. Fashion becomes a classroom, a protest, and a celebration.
One of our standout moments is the No New Clothes Runway, a bold campaign challenging the culture of overproduction and overconsumption. Through both local and international collaborations, we are creating spaces where creativity meets responsibility.
We also give center stage to upcycle and recycle designers who have long been overlooked—often because the world didn’t fully understand the value of their message. Now, we’re showing that circular fashion isn’t just conscious—it’s desirable, aspirational, and trendy.
Why This Matters Now
Africa is currently absorbing an overwhelming amount of the world’s textile waste. But African creatives are not waiting to be saved—they are saving fashion, on their own terms.
In addition to secondhand waste, we are now seeing an increasing influx of cheap, fast fashion garments entering the continent at an alarming rate. While much attention has been placed on the secondhand market, the rise of these low-cost, low-quality imports is quietly threatening African creativity, industry, and environmental health.
We must shift the narrative from “fashion’s victims” to “fashion’s visionaries.” Because circular fashion is not new to Africa. What’s new is the world finally noticing.
If you’re a designer, policymaker, student, or conscious consumer—Africa has something to teach you. And at Eco Fashion Week Africa, we’re committed to amplifying those lessons.
Follow our movement at www.ecofashionweekafrica.com and @ecofashionweekafrica
Because circular fashion in Africa isn’t a trend. It’s tradition. It’s transformation. And it’s already here.