OUR UPCYCLED & CIRCULAR PRODUCTION

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR OLD CLOTHES?

What happens once you drop your old clothes in these donation bins? It is a common misconception that donated clothes are freely distributed in developing countries. They get sold to African distributors, who again sell them to local salesmen. The cheap second hand clothes then flood the African markets and prevent the countries to develop their own textile industries, which leads to local tailors losing their work; a one-sided dependency on the west and a post-colonial power dynamic.

DUMPING ON FOREIGN ENVIRONMENT

Only half of the clothes are in a sellable state, the rest gets dumped without proper waste management, clogging local rivers and polluting the water. Basically we shift the burden of textile waste disposal to countries with the least capacity to deal with it. It is not easy to stop this hand-me-down trade because too many people are dependent on it. But a solution could come from creative innovation and sustainable business models that use upcycling techniques to turn this one sided trade into a circular trade.

REINVENTION THROUGH LOCAL ARTISANS

Building a bridge between the byproducts of western consumption and the African re-invention of such products is necessary to create sustainable solutions for second hand clothing. Together with local Tailors in rural Kenya we've built a production chain that reinvents the second hand clothing industry and strengthens the African economy. On the second hand markets we collect fabrics (mainly curtains) to upcycle into new clothing items.

CHANGING CULTURE THROUGH FASHION

Through this approach we create one of a kind and truly special pieces that embody the spirit of circularity and equality. Selling them to people of all ages, body types and ethnicities. With a strong visual language and outstanding brand identity, EMEKA is creating a culture and a lifestyle around the idea of resourcefulness. Changing our global clothing narrative, while creating a stream of income back to the African communities.