, April 17 -- Sustainable fashion means clothes being produced and consumed in ways that are socially responsible. But the conversation about sustainable fashion has centered mainly on the western and Asian fashion industries. Africa is discussed only as the dumping ground for the tonnes of disposable and secondhand clothes produced by fast fashion brands. My study bridges this gap by showing how fashion designers in west Africa produce their work.

Pret-a-porter (ready-to-wear) clothing is mass produced by fashion houses - as opposed to couture that is made to measure. West African fashion designers produce what I have termed customised pret-a-porter - a limited-edition ready-to-wear model that creates the latest fashions in measured vol...