play video

The Secret Life of Your Clothes

1 x 60 HD
Broadcaster:  BBC

Each year, we give thousands of tons of our unwanted clothes to charity shops. But where do they actually go? It turns out most don't ever reach the rail of the local charity shop. Instead - they are exported to Africa. And even though we have given them away for free, our castoffs have created a multimillion-dollar industry and some of the world's poorest people pay good money to buy them.

 

In this revealing film, paralympic champion Ade Adepitan tells the fascinating story of the afterlife of our clothes. He follows the trail to Ghana, the biggest importer of our castoffs where 1000’s of tonnes of our old clothes arrive every week. Ade meets the people who make a living from our old castoffs, from wholesalers and markets traders to the importers raking in more than the average yearly wage in a single day!

 

But not everyone is profiting…With cheaply made western clothes flooding the market, the local textile industry has been decimated. Ade visits one of the last remaining cloth factories and finds it on its knees. And the deluge of our clothes isn't just destroying jobs; it has also had a knock-on effect on Ghanaian culture. Western outfits are fast replacing iconic West African prints and traditional garb. Ade travels to remote villages to find everyone wearing British high street brands. Prepare to open your eyes as we reveal... the secret life of your clothes.

 

Nominated for the 2015 Royal Television Society Scotland Award for Current Affairs

 

Longlisted for the 2015 One World Media Award for Popular Features

 

Contact Sales Team for more information

Discover other World Affairs titles