Summer Reading Week 9: ‘On Used Clothes Ban May Crimp Kenyan Style. It May Also Lift Local Design.’

September 1, 2020

1059

Winner

Lianna Paglia, 16, from Natick High School in Natick, Mass., chose an article headlined “Used Clothes Ban May Crimp Kenyan Style. It May Also Lift Local Design.” and wrote:

Almost all of the clothes hanging in my closet are thrifted. This makes sense, seeing as I virtually only shop secondhand, a habit I’ve adopted over the past few years, which has been motivated by environmental sustainability and the fight against fast fashion’s exploitation of child labor — it’s also just so fun. My desire for upcycling projects has only grown in “captivity,” and fortunately, my beloved thrift stores have begun opening again. But for countries like Kenya, that is not the case. Threats of Covid-19 have halted the importation of clothing donations in Kenya. For a country that relies heavily on shopping secondhand, the absence of used clothes is often the absence of options. But, I found joy in learning that designers like Wagura Kamwana are taking advantage of this situation to bring more of their designs — local designs — to Kenyan markets. While this will certainly produce economic benefits, what brings me joy are the opportunities that this change will create for style visionaries. With no distinguished fashion industry, it has been undoubtedly challenging for aspiring designers of the country to envision themselves being successful — think, “you can’t be what you can’t see.” As awful as this pandemic is, it’s degrading a substantial issue for Kenyan fashion; it’s giving some dreamers a chance. And as a dreamer myself, I know that sometimes, a chance is enough.