The Kantamanto Market Fire Exposes the Unjust Systems the Fashion Industry Stands Upon

The catastrophic fire, which destroyed over 60% of the market retail spaces and impacted 10’000 people highlights the fashion industry’s ongoing refusal to confront the waste crisis it perpetuates. 

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SEANOKKAI.

In the early hours of January 2nd, a catastrophic fire tore through Kantamanto Market, in Accra, Ghana - the world’s largest secondhand clothing market in the world - devastating nearly nine acres of the market and displacing thousands of traders. The Or Foundation - a non-profit that has spent two decades in Ghana advocating for alternatives to the fashion industry's overproduction and waste, reports that the fire destroyed over 60% of the market retailer spaces and impacted an estimated 10’000 people, who depend on the secondhand clothing trade for their survival. Just two weeks later, the market is being rapidly rebuilt, but who should bear the burden of these costs and guarantee its safety going forward? This tragedy exposes the stark inequities entrenched in the global fashion industry and its relentless refusal to confront the waste crisis it perpetuates. 

This devastating loss of Kantamanto Market impacts the entire fashion system which heavily relies on Kantamanto for waste management. With 15 million items of secondhand clothing arriving each week, Kantamanto is a vital actor in the secondhand clothing trade and a powerful representation of a resilient circular economy, with incredible ingenuity and innovation driving forward reuse, upcycling and repurposing of discarded clothes - with an estimated 25 million secondhand items being recirculated each month. With limited solutions for waste management and “recycling” commonly exploited as a euphemism for exporting waste to communities in the Global South, recycling has become a performative act of out of sight, out of mind - burdening communities like Kantamanato with the Global North’s excess. 

Amid the fire and ashes, market women sift through the remains of their burnt clothing, desperately trying to save what’s left of their livelihoods

The critical role of Kantamanto Market as part of the informal economy cannot be overlooked. As a cornerstone of the global secondhand supply chain, Kantamanato Market sustains the very foundation of the fashion system, enabling its continued operation. Yet the lack of global accountability from governments and fashion brands who rely on Kantamanto Market for the export of their goods, threatens the market’s survival as traders are left to work in an unsafe, fire susceptible market infrastructure.

Now is the time for the fashion industry to take accountability and acknowledge the crucial work of Kantamanto in managing Big Fashion’s waste instead of denying the reality of where the waste ends up. Particularly the UK - the largest exporter of second-hand clothing to Ghana, with British brands like Marks & Spencer, Next and F&F the most commonly found polluting the beaches in Accra. We urgently need the fashion industry to step up at this critical time to support the Kantamanto community in rebuilding a safe market infrastructure, supporting thousands of livelihoods and the recovery of this vibrant circular economy - without whom the fashion system would not exist. As the fashion industry grapples with waste and sustainability Kantamanto Market stands as a testament to innovation, resilience and perseverance. 

This raises a broader question: who is responsible for making these informal economies safe? The thriving informal economy plays a critical role in processing and managing the global excess created by mass consumption, yet the Global North has long refused to take accountability for the waste it generates. Brands and consumers alike remain unwilling to confront the true fate of discarded clothing, perpetuating a system where the Global South continues to bear the brunt of overproduction and throwaway culture.

The loss of Kantamanto Market underscores this injustice. Communities like Kantamanto, which have shouldered the burden of the Global North’s textile waste for decades, are essential actors in the global fashion supply chain. They deserve the resources and funding needed to operate safely and sustainably. To transition to a justice-led circular economy we need to urgently rethink how the fashion system operates and call on brands to invest not only in sustainable practices but also in the communities managing their waste.  

The increasing frequency of these tragic fires cannot continue to come at the expense of traders, retailers and upcyclers, many of whom are already trapped in vicious debt cycles due to low-quality clothing bales that are arriving from the Global North. Instead, the burden must fall on the fashion brands that continue to profit while their cheap, synthetic clothing floods the market from floor to ceiling, creating hazards and fueling such disasters.

Kantamanato urgently needs global support for the relief and recovery efforts to rebuild the market. The Or Foundation has committed $1m to support the clean-up effort and is calling on fashion brands whose fashion waste dominates the market and litters local beaches, to support the clean-up, with a hope to raise a total of $5million. You can donate here to support the relief and recovery efforts. 

To support the recovery and rebuilding of Kantamanto Market you can donate here to The Or Foundation.

You can also donate here to The Revival, a community-driven organisation addressing global textile waste in Ghana, as they work within Kantamanto to rebuild the market.

You can view the full photography series by Accra-based photographer SEANOKKAI. here.