Let’s create eco-friendly environment through Fashion Design – Bee Arthur

The colors, styles, and designs of fabrics are key indicators of a person’s identity and the community that the person belongs to. Fashion, as a function of society is therefore an integral part by which the strengths, standards, and weaknesses of a community can be measured.

This observation was made by Ms. Beatrice “Bee” Arthur, a Creative Arts Practitioner to final year students of the Fashion Design and Textiles Department of the Accra Technical University during a fashion show early last month.

Speaking on the theme “Building a Sustainable Fashion Model: Advancing Timeless Collections,” Ms. Arthur warned that a sustainable fashion model in Ghana is increasingly becoming a challenge because Ghana has in essence become the world’s foremost dumping grounds for textile waste.

She pointed out that the Kantamanto market in Accra is now the par excellence in second hand or used clothing imported mainly from the United Kingdom, the United States of America and China. “A staggering amount of 15 million tons legally enters our country on a weekly basis from these 3 countries,” she said.

She added that about 50% of these poor-quality garments go to landfills, further exacerbating the existential problem of pollution and environmental degradation.

She theorized that Ghanaians insatiable appetites for cheap products have enabled the country to become a dumping ground for e-waste, used or damaged vehicles and anything in between, creating health hazards and climate change.  

To this end, she advised the students to utilize local fabrics to optimize the fashion industry in order to stem the flow of cheap and used clothing that has the potential of compromising the health of the nation. A holistic approach to a sustainable fashion model must be eco-friendly for societal transformation, she urged.

Amandla

Posted by admin on Aug 25 2024. Filed under Artcultainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry