Ade Dehye

A few years ago, our founder Akintunde Ahmad had the pleasure of being featured on the Lady Dentaa Amoateng MBE show, speaking about his journey into the fashion realm and the need for more ethical, sustainable production on the continent of Africa, but specifically in Ghana. You can learn more about our origin story and our commitment to manufacturing in West Africa and working with local artisans in this powerful episode. Thank you for featuring us Lady Dentaa Amoateng MBE https://lnkd.in/g7n-wW3N

The Hidden Costs of Fast Fashion: A Crisis in Ghana In recent years, the detrimental effects of fast fashion have reached critical levels in Ghana, driven by actions from the global north. The influx of low-cost, disposable clothing has created a multitude of environmental, economic, and social issues in our communities. Environmental Impact: Ghana receives a significant portion of the world's discarded clothing, much of which is of low quality and non-recyclable. These garments often end up in landfills, contributing to severe environmental pollution. The unsustainable production practices of fast fashion brands exacerbate this issue, leading to increased textile waste and environmental degradation in our cities and rural areas. Economic Disruption: The dominance of imported second-hand clothing undermines local textile industries. Ghana's rich heritage of textile production, known for its quality and cultural significance, struggles to compete with the flood of cheap imports. This has led to the decline of local businesses, loss of jobs, and economic instability in communities that once thrived on textile manufacturing and trade. Social Consequences: The culture of fast fashion promotes a disposable mentality, which clashes with traditional Ghanaian values of durability and sustainability. Moreover, the working conditions in fast fashion supply chains are often exploitative, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality both abroad and locally. Call to Action: It is crucial for us to advocate for sustainable fashion practices and support local artisans and manufacturers. By promoting ethical fashion and raising awareness about the impacts of our consumption habits, we can drive change that benefits both our communities and the environment. Let's prioritize sustainability, quality, and fair trade to protect our heritage and ensure a prosperous future for all. Learn more at www.adedehye.com #SustainableFashion #FastFashionCrisis #SupportLocal #EnvironmentalJustice #AdeDehye

The Hidden Costs of Fast Fashion: A Crisis in Ghana In recent years, the detrimental effects of fast fashion have reached critical levels in Ghana, driven by actions from the global north. The influx of low-cost, disposable clothing has created a multitude of environmental, economic, and social issues in our communities. Environmental Impact: Ghana receives a significant portion of the world's discarded clothing, much of which is of low quality and non-recyclable. These garments often end up in landfills, contributing to severe environmental pollution. The unsustainable production practices of fast fashion brands exacerbate this issue, leading to increased textile waste and environmental degradation in our cities and rural areas. Economic Disruption: The dominance of imported second-hand clothing undermines local textile industries. Ghana's rich heritage of textile production, known for its quality and cultural significance, struggles to compete with the flood of cheap imports. This has led to the decline of local businesses, loss of jobs, and economic instability in communities that once thrived on textile manufacturing and trade. Social Consequences: The culture of fast fashion promotes a disposable mentality, which clashes with traditional Ghanaian values of durability and sustainability. Moreover, the working conditions in fast fashion supply chains are often exploitative, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality both abroad and locally. Call to Action: It is crucial for us to advocate for sustainable fashion practices and support local artisans and manufacturers. By promoting ethical fashion and raising awareness about the impacts of our consumption habits, we can drive change that benefits both our communities and the environment. Let's prioritize sustainability, quality, and fair trade to protect our heritage and ensure a prosperous future for all. Learn more at www.adedehye.com #SustainableFashion #FastFashionCrisis #SupportLocal #EnvironmentalJustice #AdeDehye

This #WomensHistoryMonth, I want you all to hear from Aboagyewaa, one of the second hand fashion resellers we work with at Ade Dehye in our upcycling process. Women like her are the backbone of not only the second hand fashion economy in Ghana, but also the textile weaving ecosystem in Ghana (which I'll make a separate post about) Clothing waste from the US, UK, Europe and Australia continues to flood into Accra at a rate of 15 million garments per week and make its way to Kantamanto Market, where Aboagyewaa has worked for over 30 years. Note that in this brief clip, she highlights the decreasing quality of the garments she receives and the difficulty of selling it - discarding majority of items she received that end up in Ghana's waterways and overfilled landfills. Women like her are the backbone of these economies, and also most vulnerable to the decreasing quality and disposal of such items that are quite literally sparking an environmental catastrophe right in front of our eyes. As you make decisions about how/where you shop and what you buy, consider the environmental impact is has, and consider supporting the work of Ade Dehye in our mission to grow the sustainable fashion ecosystem across West Africa. Visit our page or website to learn more: www.adedehye.com

As we enter the last week of Black History Month, we ask you, how are you supporting the Black community throughout the diaspora? How can you both support Black businesses and take a stance to combat fast fashion and champion sustainability? Ade Dehye is giving you that opportunity. We're closing out February with a bang, and offering a limited time discount t products on our site. So if you've been holding out on supporting Black owned businesses this month, now's your chance. Shop with us at www.adedehye.com

In 2024, I hope we can all be more conscious consumers and give some additional thought to who produces items we consume, how they are made, and what their impact is on our society and environment. In 2023, we spent many hours researching the harms of fast fashion and methods to expand sustainable fashion production across West Africa, specifically focusing on Ghana. For those who aren't familiar, we launched this brand in 2021 with one goal in mind: create a sustainable fashion brand that sources fabrics from across West Africa with our core production in Ghana. 2023 was a year of immense growth, and one of my 2024 goals is to showcase more of our production process in order to display what sustainable fashion actually looks like in practice, and encourage consumers to be more climate conscious in their wardrobe decisions. This particular video focuses on our new up-cycled denim collection, but also illustrates the ways fast fashion from the US, UK, and Australia waste litters the landscape of countries like Ghana (shoutout to The OR Foundation for their research). Fast fashion refers to the quick production of cheap, trendy clothing that is designed to be worn for a short period of time before being replaced by the next new thing. This business model has led to a massive increase in the amount of clothing produced and discarded, with consumers buying more and more clothes at a faster rate. This constant demand for new clothing has negative consequences for our planet. The production of clothing requires a lot of energy and resources, including water, chemicals, and fossil fuels. In addition, the transportation of these goods around the world and the disposing of them after a single use contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. As seen in this video, fast fashion waste also has negative impacts on countries like Ghana, where much of the world's clothing ends up after it is no longer wanted in the Western world. The disposal of used clothing in these countries leads to environmental pollution and can harm local industries. By choosing sustainable fashion brands like Ade Dehye, consumers can help reduce the negative impacts of fast fashion on the environment and on communities around the world. Shop with us at www.adedehye.com I'm excited to continue on this journey into the new year, and learn alongside you all as we progress. Happy 2024! #sustainablefashion #fastfashion #madeinafrica #madeinghana #handwoven #handdyed #upcycledfashion #denim #sustainability