Kanta To The World

Tracing the Journey of Textiles

Visitors explore how discarded garments from Europe arrive at Kantamanto Market in Accra, Ghana, around 15 million pieces each week. Through visuals and storytelling, the exhibition reveals the scale of fast fashion’s impact, showing how poor-quality clothing contributes to environmental burdens on beaches and landfills. This highlights the urgency of rethinking global fashion systems and the potential of community-led interventions.

Creativity, Knowledge & Frugal Innovation

The exhibit celebrates the ingenuity and cultural knowledge of the Kantamanto community, showing garments rescued and upcycled locally, as well as highlights from past activations, including Amsterdam Fashion Week. This showcase demonstrates frugal, inventive techniques, turning men’s shirt offcuts into boxer shorts, sweatshirt sleeves into children’s pants, and old curtains into fashion-forward suits. These low-tech, community-driven practices from the Global South offer practical pathways to localised remanufacturing, challenging the industry’s reliance on high-tech textile-to-textile recycling.

Live Upcycling Workshop

The Live Upcycling Workshop brings the exhibition to life, with local Netherlands-based upcyclers collaborating with two Ghanaian upcyclers. Visitors witness hands-on upcycling, engaging with skill, creativity, and resilience while observing co-creation and knowledge exchange in real time. The exhibition closes with a reflection on systemic inequalities, the power of local action, and the role of individuals in supporting circular fashion. Through storytelling, live demonstrations, and interactive displays, Kanta To The World redefines sustainability as a community-driven, globally connected practice.