Perpetual rags of the second-hand clothing market

article originally published in phsicsmag's A Universal Language issue available for download here

Much of the commentary around the secondhand clothing market seems to be content with continuing on with the current secondhand clothing business model provided clothes in Western countries don’t pile up at landfills. Fashion is increasingly becoming disposable because of the way conventional retail has diminished what used to be considered as one’s ‘basic capsule’; a pair of jeans, a coat, a few dress shirts, and so on. Fast fashion retail isn't the sole contributor to the issue of unwanted clothes.  In the secondhand market, charities collect clothes from donors and sell them to secondhand dealers at a profit. The dealers determine among themselves, the market prices for the clothes without any economic references. When you factor all that in, along with the imported clothes from low income sourcing destinations which drive up the demand for secondhand items by contributing to contractions in domestic textile industries, the secondhand issue is enormous. 

I would like to respond to some critical questions on this topic which aren't being answered. Do we need a secondhand clothing market? Yes, I believe people should be given the right to choose to buy secondhand goods or otherwise. Should we regulate it? Yes, especially in countries where domestic industries are hurt by it. Does it add value? Sadly not; even though affordability is certain, the economic considerations for producing brand new clothes through stimulating local economies are far much greater. Even the people employed by the secondhand clothing market would  be better off benefiting from established, transparent, regulated industries where things such as retirement plans and social benefits actually exist. What should retailers do to prevent stockpiles of unwanted clothes? Perhaps fast fashion’s next drive should be to recycle clothes. You return an old unwanted item to a Zara or H&M and they top up your purchasing credit with it or something similar. This will be more aboveboard and less stringent on resources. The secondhand clothing market is a present day reality.

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PhsicsMag Issue no.4 - A Universal Language

Working on this fourth annual issue made me be that person who forced their way into very uncomfortable situations. As people we are afraid to get uncomfortable. I found myself having to convince people who have never heard of what I do that they could work with me to produce something as remarkable as this publication. I’ve also introduced film to be an extended medium of this magazine. 

Waking up knowing that your film is in its second day of production, and everything is up in the air will have you asking yourself “what did I get myself into?” and frankly speaking,there’s nothing glamorous about feeling that way. You actually find yourself in a very uncomfortable position, and the only thing you can do is to put your life jacket on and hurry along. In the end, the greatest feeling comes when your product comes out exactly the way you had envisioned it to be. Even if only two people share it among themselves, knowing that you pushed through that very difficult storm to be where you are is the best feeling in the world. The creative process is similar to sailing through an endless ocean. There are moments of calmness, and there are moments of “we’re about to sink!”, but nowhere can you give in. The escape is just too perfect. A friend of mine challenged me. She’s about to launch her resort bag collection which was assembled in Ghana and Burkina Faso. She left her air-conditioned London home to be out there under the sun, on the grind, far from the glamour! If you had to ask me what other fashion people are doing right now? Probably picking outfits for Instagram or browsing the web for “inspiration”.My problem with glamour is that it’s very short sighted. 

During my recent trip to Milan I caught up with a friend who knows all about the fashion industry. He told me of how the back-end of the fashion business over there treats and nurtures its talent. On the surface it looks very glamorous, but what actually goes on is unbelievable. In this publication’s fourth edition, A Universal Language, I wanted to broaden my scope. I’m not a music reviewer and I never was. I knew that writing about music would challenge me. I wanted to do a music issue. I wanted to be uncomfortable. From where I’m sitting right now, this issue is more than a music review. It’s personal and it carries a lot of intricacies. I wanted to achieve exactly that be it with the publication, the documentary film, and the Private Life collection; each of these elements of my brand speak A Universal Language. Stay blessed

Download the full magazine here

Issue Three

PDF version is available free for download here

#ALIGNMENT

The Airplane Boys - photography by Justin Create

Track ten from The Airplane Boy’s new mixtape inspired this write up; 2012 is the year of ALIGNMENT! As I write this, the song Parachute is blaring loud in my headphones. I recall my interview of these two talented artists late in 2011 for PhsicsMag issue two. Since then, they’ve released their new mixtape a few days ago, and will be performing at Coachella this year, a major achievement in my book.  Salute to Beck & Bon and to the whole Beau Monde Collective , you guys are truly gifted. For those who've missed the Airplane Boys, PhsicsMag interview, here it is below.  #ALIGNMENT 

phsicsmag (p): What was it like working on your debut mixtape with Illangelo?

The Airplane Boys (Beck Motley & Bon Voyage) Bon: It was amazing...I mean, It was a learning curve for us. In terms of the recording process we had to be in the studio for like an hour, but we would be there for late hours and just trying to fit the songs in to a time. We didn’t really have the money to pay for studio time so it was just a lot of ‘run -and- gun’ type of mentality.

p: And Beau Monde, that’s your creative team right?

Beck: That’s our crew, that’s our family. It’s the foundation behind The Airplane Boys. Not only do we make music but we have a brand director, a producer, a photographer, art direction, it’s all about arts in this crew. We’re all brothers, we all grew up together in the same neighbourhood, we all think alike and we hangout. It’s the foundation of The Airplane Boys artistically and moving forward.

p: You’ve recently got back from touring the U.K with Snoop Dogg. And you’ve also opened for Big Sean. What did you take out of these experiences?

Beck: In terms of opening for Big Sean it was a humbling experience because that’s a young artist that’s coming out now, that’s relevant, a lot of the young kids grew up to that and one that we got to see throughout , an artist that has longevity. For Snoop it was incredible because it was overseas. People drive on the right side, everything’s different there. The currency’s different, you feel like you’re far from home. We’ve never performed for like 20 -25 thousand before and Snoop garnered that kind of audience overseas. We are humbled by the experience; even fans on our own tour further share our music out there.

p: One of the first things that struck me about you guys was your heavy style presence. Does fashion play a role in shaping who you are musically?

Beck: Fashion plays a big role in shaping our music, arts in general. Every time we get the chance to go to art galleries and fashion runways we’re inspired by a lot of colours and watching films, reading books, anything that has to do with expressing yourself. Because that’s what we are first and foremost. We’re trying to express our stories as storytellers on our music. We have a message in our music all the time. Any form of expression we try and look into it. Whether its films, fashion, just art in general.

p: Where do you see yourselves five to ten years from now?

Bon: That’s hard to say. We just see ourselves established, more presence, Beau Monde the company growing, moving forward, really just touching the people more.

p: Any projects, tours, or happenings that we can look forward to?

Beck: We just out in Los Angeles right now finishing our next mixtape. We’ve been out in the U.K, New York, doing a few songs here and there, and letting the environment write our music, so when we’re in the U.K we listen to a lot of electronic and dubstep music and try to implement that into our body of art. And here in Los Angeles we’re more under the sun, so our music’s gonna translate to that. We just gonna pick the best songs and ready it for the top of the year, give it to the supporters, the believers.

Mabu by Ntokozo Kunene

A friend of mine recently launched her brand at the South African Fashion Week (SAFW) earlier this month. I’ve known Ntee for about 3 years now, and I can say she inspires me a lot even though I hardly tell her that. She’s currently finishing off her fashion design degree at a prestigious fashion academy in London; where she’s been based for the past three and a half years or so. It is through her ‘passion for fashion’ that she took upon this journey to pursue a career in fashion overseas. 

 Ntee burst into the scene last year when she was selected as a finalist for Elle’s young designer competition. I remember I had been in South Africa that July and the show was to take place around September. I got my invite through our ‘once in a while’ Gmail updates, but would miss the show because I had to be back in France when in took place. It was only this January that I got the news of the SAFW participation as Mabu, a brand which she has dedicated to her mother and to women.  This would be Ntee’s time to shine. 

 I believe that Ntee will accomplish great things through Mabu. She definitely sees things in a new light… a breath of fresh air through the industry back home. I also admire how she pushes herself; this is somebody who only started the Mabu collection late last year under short notice.I am proud to be associated with people like her, and I wish her all the best.