Imagine if your backyard was filled with every piece of clothing you had ever thrown away. Now, picture all the waste from your neighbours being dumped there as well. It would be near impossible to maintain a sense of social and environmental wellbeing in a situation like this. And yet, this is the harsh reality facing many people in Ghana, currently the world’s largest importer of used clothing.
The Revival is a Redesign Everything Challenge winner that aims to tackle this problem. Founded by Ghanaian creative entrepreneur Yayra Agbofah, this community-led sustainable design initiative addresses local textile waste challenges through programmes that integrate education, awareness, art, and job creation. So far, they have successfully diverted over 1 million garments from landfills and oceans, while also reducing air pollution from the burning of textile waste. Already impacting around 2,000 people worldwide through free online courses and lectures, The Revival now aims to establish an upcycling hub in Africa, and promote legislation to curb overconsumption in the Global North and beyond.
How is the team planning to do this — and what drives their vision for the future of fashion? We spoke with Yayra during the Redesign Everything Challenge Sprint to learn more about his journey so far and his multidisciplinary approach to storytelling, mending and making.
Yayra Agbofah in clothing and accessories by The Revival. Photo: Anisa Xhomaqi.
Hi Yayra, could you introduce us to your project?
The Revival is an organisation that focuses on addressing the global textile waste crisis that hugely affects the people of Ghana, myself included. Basically what we’re trying to do is to intercept the waste that is being sent into landfills and in the ocean which is causing a massive environmental and health crisis in our country. The reason we’re doing this is because there are huge quantities of clothing that is being dumped into Ghana from the Global North — including the Netherlands. And we don’t have the resources to deal with this.
I started The Revival out of frustration and pain that we have to deal with waste we didn’t create, and to empower the community, because I’m not the only one affected. There’s a whole community of people that are affected. So, in fact [our goal is] to just join hands and collaborate with the community to solve a problem that we are all encountering. Sustainable and circular design are some of the main tools that we use, because we believe that design is a tool for social change.
“I started The Revival out of frustration and pain that we have to deal with waste we didn’t create.”
What would you say are some of your biggest milestones?
Well, we’ve been able to divert over 1 million garments from landfill. And whilst doing that, we also created jobs. We’ve now created 60 plus jobs for our community.
We’ve also been able to come up with amazing upcycled products that would have ended up as waste. Literally creating something out of nothing, turning waste into opportunities. Another way we tackle the problem, apart from upcycling, is through awareness. So, with the help of social media, we try to create content that will make people more aware of issues like waste colonialism. We also think education is a very important tool in finding new solutions. So we are also developing free online courses to educate people globally.
Besides this we also do various workshops. These workshops are aimed at bringing people together to work on a solution. For example if you have textile waste in your home, you can bring it into our space in Accra and together we will (re)design it. Irrespective of the background you have. So, whether you are a doctor, an architect, or a painter, the space gives you the freedom, creative freedom and opportunity to be able to create with something that you were about to throw away.
A photographic series by The Revival, taken at one of Ghana’s landfills. Photo: The Revival.
What kind of RESPONSES DO YOU GET FROM THE COMMUNITY?
The response has been amazing. We’ve had people in our DMs and emails saying things like ‘Oh, I still wear the item I made three years ago because I love it, because I cherish it.’ And that’s what we’re trying to instil in people. We’re trying to instil the idea of ownership. That’s what is missing in our world of fashion consumption. People don’t own clothes anymore — that is why we find it so easy to throw away. That and clothing is very cheap right now, with the influx of fast fashion.
People don’t see the relevance in ownership, don’t see the relevance in repair. If I can buy a t-shirt for less than the price of a cup of coffee, I might as well throw it away if it’s stained and buy a new one. The same applies to other products and accessories. And that is killing our planet. So what we are trying to do is to mobilise and bring together changemakers, people who are champions in their immediate community and help them to influence their peers to make more informed decisions when it comes to fashion consumption, but also to be able to take practical actions that will make this world a better place.
“We’re trying to instil the idea of ownership. That’s what is missing in our world of fashion consumption.”
Can you tell us about a recent project or collaboration that you’re especially proud of?
Recently, we worked on a very interesting project that is a personal favourite of mine. We discovered a problem in local agriculture where a lot of pineapple farmers were struggling with frequent injuries because they were not wearing the right protective clothing.
So what we did at The Revival was to say: okay, farmers, you have a problem, and I also have a problem, I have waste. How can we connect the dots? So we collected denim textile waste and upcycled them into protective work uniforms for the farmers in need. The problem was solved and they loved it.
Farmers in protective uniforms by The Revival. Photo: Anisa Xhomaqi.
What does clothing mean to you?
I see clothing as a second skin. And if something is of this close proximity to your skin, to you, why wouldn’t you take care of it? Why wouldn’t you respect and cherish it? It’s so important that we do this right. Because fashion cannot make us look good at the expense of nature. Fashion should make us beautiful, and we should reciprocate.
Right now, the relationship between people and nature is terrible. We’re not on good terms and that needs to be fixed. And the amazing thing about our planet is that it heals itself. So it’s not too late.
At The Revival, we don’t point fingers, but rather we try to empower people and say: we can still do it. The world can heal. All we need to do is to change our attitude, and change our lifestyle.
“Fashion cannot make us look good at the expense of nature. Fashion should make us beautiful, and we should reciprocate.”
What inspired you to get into fashion in the first place?
My background is quite an interesting one because I used to be in corporate finance. But that sector was killing me. And growing up, I always wanted to feel special and look unique in my own way. But I couldn’t afford it. So what I would do is take clothes from my older siblings, and ask my mom to help me tailor them, because she was a seamstress. I asked her if we could make a deal. Can you do this for me? Then I’ll be a good boy. And that was that!
After that, people started talking about how I dressed. So it got to a point where I started influencing people with the way I looked. My clothes spoke for me. And that made me feel really good about myself. And I just kept doing what I was doing and then I organically got into fashion without even knowing it, through things like styling, set designing, and selling in the second-hand markets.
That was when I realised there was a problem within the fashion industry. That triggered further research, and that’s when I was like, Oh my God, this is really happening. There is so much waste everywhere. So, I would say it’s been an interesting journey.
Yayra in clothing and accessories by The Revival. Photo: Anisa Xhomaqi
When did you start The Revival?
So, the project officially started in 2019 and unofficially in 2014. Things are moving fast now, but it took me some time to be able to digest and analyse everything, because the problem is so overwhelming. It got me into a place of frustration. Because it felt bigger than me, way bigger than me. But with time and through encountering like-minded people, we were able to build a team and start The Revival.
Can you tell us a bit more about the waste you work with in Ghana?
Annually, about 120,000 tonnes of clothing is being sent to Ghana. Now out of that, quite a substantial amount leaves our markets as waste. Based on the latest research, about five to ten tonnes are leaving on a daily basis.
That’s an alarming quantity. A lot of these clothes that come to Ghana are imported from North America and Europe, and are not functional in our weather. Or they’re in really bad condition. So they’ll go straight into the landfill or anywhere possible. And that is wrong.
Why would you send torn clothes to us? Do we deserve this? Do we deserve torn clothes? No, we don’t. I don’t think you would wear torn clothes yourself. So then why is it okay to send them to Africa? It’s not. So, now we are focusing on conversations with the media. Because, not everybody has yet heard about this problem. There are still so many people for whom out of sight is out of mind.
“I don’t think you would wear torn clothes yourself. So then why is it okay to send them to Africa? It’s not.”
Lastly, what is the message that you hope people will take away from your story?
I want people to feel the reality of what we face every single day in Ghana. The reality of the communities that live next to the landfill, and how they feel. Think about the women in the second-hand market. Think about the kids that are not able to play at the beach because it’s polluted with your clothes. And I want them to think about the actions they could take to stop overconsumption, and stop producing fast fashion.
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This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Words by Dune Daffin, interview by Natasha Berting and Chieri Higa.
Upcycling in action. Photo: The Revival