Today, fashion is always changing and especially with in the United States. People here are very picky and when clothes become old or are out of style, the unwanted clothes must go somewhere. In this film, it explains how and where most unwanted apparel ends up. People in the U.S. are not aware of where their donated clothes end up. Most of the secondhand clothes are donated to charity, charity then sells them to dealers, and dealers ships or sells them to the people in Africa.
Secondhand shirts are a big market in Zambia, Africa and many of the people turn to this business as for income. Many of the Zambians depend on second hand clothes to survive. Although it may look like it’s a good to donate old clothes to Africa, it is getting them no where. This market has driven out all the textile manufacturers and cause many lost jobs in Africa. Africa is still an undeveloped country, because there is a huge pool of unskilled and uneducated people. The country is in debt due to corruption within the government and banks lending many to unsuccessful businesses. The secondhand clothes industry contributes to Africa’s third world debt and globalization, because it is a business that requires no skills and education, which equals to slower development. Africa is in a very difficult position due to those issues and it may take a long time for the country to progress.
United States can help by regulating on dealers who are making a business out of donated clothes; develop a plan for Africa to limit the secondhand clothes market size, and force education for Africans to learn other job skills for further advancement in the country. A full-force country developing plan for Africa will become beneficial one day.