MADE IN KANTA: From a Seat at the Table to Leading the Narrative

Kantamanto is cited as evidence and used as data and imagery, yet the people who work there are rarely in the room where decisions are made. Rebecca Naa Korkor Mensah, who launched the upcycling label Nakoi in the market in 2024, tells Frida Nakarma Lidbom why being seen is not the same as being included and why empowering women runs through every piece she makes.

MADE IN KANTA: Fashion Has Become My Voice

Can a global streetwear label come out of a secondhand market in Accra? Bhabi is betting on it. Through Xtreet Guidance, founded in Kantamanto in 2024, he turns what others overlook into upcycled denim and footwear and wants to carry Kantamanto's stories to a global stage. He speaks to Frida Nakarma Lidbom, episode two of MADE IN KANTA.

MADE IN KANTA: All the clothes have wounds

Every week, 15 million garments arrive at Kantamanto market in Accra, and roughly 40 per cent of them leave it as waste. Nii Teiko, founder of KALA BLAQ KINTSUGI, buys the ones the market has given up on. He takes his method from kintsugi, the Japanese practice of repairing broken objects with gold rather than concealing the break. Words by Frida Nakarma Lidbom, episode one of MADE IN KANTA.

The World’s Largest Secondhand Market: Introducing the Made In Kanta Series

Every week, 15 million garments arrive in Accra. Kantamanto is where someone decides whether any of it is worth anything at all.

Made In Kanta is a new NDAANE series, written with Frida Nakarma Lidbom, on the designers and upcyclers rebuilding value inside the largest secondhand clothing market in the world.

Inside FARE: Structuring a Sustainable Fashion Brand in Benin

From experimental project to showcase of Beninese creativity, FARE embodies sustainable fashion rooted in local craftsmanship. Peter Toni Basengula discusses the pivot from deadstock to indigo, his 100% local production networks, what the FLY program taught him, and what's still missing from Benin's creative scene.

How Taking Up Space Pop-up Celebrated Black Sustainable Fashion During BHM

Three organisations, one store in Mayfair, and one shared message. During Black History Month in London, Taking Up Space brought together Black-owned sustainable fashion brands to show that Black voices have been leading the sustainability conversation all along.

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From Senegal to South Africa, African Fashion Is In Full Bloom

When Chanel brought its Métiers d'Art show to Dakar, Western media treated it like a discovery. It wasn't. Here's what that moment actually revealed about where African fashion stands today.

6 Digital Platforms Championing African Brands

Discover the e-commerce platforms dedicated to uniting a powerhouse collective of African creatives, making their brilliant creations accessible across the globe.

4 Fashion Brands Blurring Gender Boundaries

To celebrate queer voices, we are shining a light on 4 designers across Africa, who explore queer identities in their designs, and give a voice to their community.

Jewellery Telling Black Stories In Brazil

In 19th-century Brazil, Black women traders used jewellery to protect their dignity and buy freedom. Three contemporary designers are still listening to that history, each in their own material language.

Everything You Need To Know About Fashion Tech

Digital worlds are offering infinite possibilities as technology is reinventing fashion and opening new opportunities. Fashion Tech specialist Lauralee Darien walk us through everything we need to know about this fast-growing space.