Who bears the burden of fashion’s overproduction problem? Our upcoming film, "From Store to Shore," traces the journey of excess clothing from the Global North to the shores of Accra, Ghana. Produced in collaboration with The Or Foundation, it takes viewers to Kantamanto Market, one of the world’s largest secondhand markets. Sustained by an estimated 30,000 people, including porters, retailers, traders, menders, creatives, and upcyclers, this circular system is at once ingenious and increasingly fragile. Today, the global fashion, textile, and apparel industry produces an ever-increasing number of garments each year and clothing is considered inherently disposable, without a thought to where it ends up. The sheer volume of items arrives in Kantamanto faster than the community can absorb it, overwhelming both them and the infrastructure they have built. "From Store to Shore" follows the stories of three women on the frontlines, whose daily work reflects this reality: Stella Oppong Agyare, a stall owner navigating the declining value of secondhand clothing; Fideis Issah, part of the Tide Turners team clearing textile waste from Accra’s beaches; and Khadijah Abdallah, an upcycler transforming garments that would otherwise be discarded. At the heart of the film is the Kantamanto Women’s Association, a collective formed with support from The Or Foundation to uplift and advocate for the women who hold this system together. Their voices reveal a trade pushed to its limits: low-quality imports, mounting waste, and little recognition from the global fashion industry for the fundamental work they do. Watch the trailer and witness a remarkable circular economy now under strain, and the urgent need for the global fashion industry to take responsibility for its waste. 🎬 Stay tuned for the release of the full film on 8 December. 🎥: Tonia-Marie Parker and Faiza Salman
This story is essential. Kantamanto has held up the back end of fashion’s waste stream for decades, and the women holding that system together deserve global recognition. Overproduction isn’t abstract—it lands on their stalls, their beaches, their backs. This film brings their voices forward and reminds us that real circularity means producing less and valuing the people who’ve sustained it all along. Textile Exchange The Or Foundation
Who bears the responsibility for not understanding the root cause of overproduction and publishing crap like this?
The fashion industry praises “circularity” while quietly shipping mountains of overproduction to Ghana and calling it a donation. Kantamanto is not a safety valve — it’s a frontline community absorbing the consequences of a business model built on disposability. If brands want to talk about sustainability, this is where the conversation needs to start: not in PR reports, but on the shores where their waste washes up.
Mind-boggling how much waste we produce... we need to buy less, buy higher quality, and repair. And we need textile EPR laws to make companies accountable for the end-of-life.
This is such an important and powerful story. The reality in Kantamanto highlights the urgent need for the global fashion industry to rethink overproduction, take accountability for end-of-life impacts, and invest in solutions that truly support the communities bearing the burden of textile waste. Grateful to see these voices and experiences brought to the forefront.
This really hits home. We all know the industry has a serious overproduction and overconsumption problem — and it doesn't just disappear when we're done with our clothes. Every part of the system needs to be questioned and fixed, from how we design to how we buy. I hope more people watch this film and really see the ripple effects of our choices. Change isn't just on brands — it's on all of us.