Versatile Academy #1: Textile WastelandVersatile Academy #1: Textile Wasteland

The various streams of waste are one of the bigger challenges in the fashion industry. In Rotterdam alone, 2 million kilos of textile waste are gathered each year by the company responsible for sorting the city’s textile containers, Opnieuw Goed. Currently, 9% of the waste from these containers can be re-used locally, 29% is used for material recycling, but the majority is exported and frequently ends up on the African continent.

One of the biggest and busiest second-hand clothing markets in West Africa – Kantamanto – inspired Sel Kofiga to start the Ghanaian-based brand kumfo domfo , which explores the politics and sites of waste colonialism. Kofiga documents stories about secondhand clothing by speaking with resellers and taking photos and videos. He translates his findings into hand-painted wearables, films, and performances.

Textile Wasteland marks the start of Versatile Academy, a programme that aims to bridge the gap between small scale fashion labels and textile sorting and recycling companies. During six months, four fashion makers are challenged to dive into the sorting and recycling process, and rethink the ways we find, sort, value and reuse second hand textiles.

Versatile Academy is an initiative of Rotterdam-based fashion brand Versatile Forever and is organized in close collaboration with platform Fashion in Flux. The project is supported by sorting- and recycling company Opnieuw Goed, Creative Industry Fund NL and Gemeente Rotterdam.

The visit of Sel Kofiga is made possible by the International Visitors Programme of the Nieuwe Instituut with support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.