WATCH: Chief to Chief With Ghanaian Roberta Annan | What You Need To Know About Fast Fashion
ESSENCE CEO CAROLINE WANGA EXPLORES BLACK WOMEN AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF HOME, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY, AND FOCUSES ON HELPING EVERY BLACK WOMAN RECOGNIZE THE CHIEF THAT ALREADY EXISTS WITHIN HER.
Transcript
00:00 There's 15 million pieces of clothing that come to Ghana on a daily basis.
00:05 The sad part about it is about 40% of what is imported here end up in the landfill because
00:14 they have defects.
00:15 Hello, I'm Caroline Wonga, President and CEO of Essence Ventures, and today we are here
00:28 for another edition of Chief to Chief.
00:30 As you know, we are strongly anchored in making sure that we are enforcing that the black
00:34 woman is the CEO of home culture and community, and therefore where she goes, as does home
00:39 culture and community.
00:40 And as you know, Chief to Chief is about pulling out the stories of the women who are doing
00:45 chief things so you can look at the chief in yourself.
00:47 So today I'm joined by my sister, and I'm going to give her our standard opening question,
00:53 which is, who is Roberta?
00:56 First of all, thank you for coming to welcome to my home and welcome to Ghana.
01:02 What I see is Ghana is the continent, right?
01:04 So everything is happening.
01:11 So and of course, we won the Jollof Wars anyway, so going back in, going back to it.
01:18 So Roberta, I'll say that I am a modern African woman.
01:24 I embrace my modernity, but at the same time, I have very deep cultural roots.
01:33 I'm from a family that has been very pivotal in educating and promoting culture in the
01:44 Ashanti, especially from the Ashanti tribe, from my mom's side.
01:50 And with a family that I come from, we're very strong in education and giving back to
01:55 society and community.
01:58 And that was basically embedded in me, or I was saying co-catered in me at a very young
02:03 age.
02:04 So the concept of giving back has been part of my roots from, you know, very early stages.
02:13 So you get 15 million a day.
02:21 Yes.
02:22 40% of that.
02:23 40%?
02:24 Almost half of it ends up here.
02:27 Never even gets won because it was sent defective.
02:30 Exactly.
02:31 So the consumers even see that?
02:33 So it just comes straight here.
02:35 It just comes.
02:36 So it gets to the market.
02:38 We'll visit the market after this.
02:40 And conduct take out the clues because they come in a bale, right?
02:44 So that's a compressed bale.
02:46 So when it gets to the market, it's when they unpack and unravel it.
02:49 And then it's at that point when they see that it's their defects.
02:53 And then the defects just get dumped.
02:56 Is 40% a normal defect number?
02:59 It shouldn't be.
03:00 It's just think about it.
03:01 Like if you're buying any commodity, you usually get like maybe one to 2% that is acceptable.
03:08 So that is outrageous.
03:10 It's just ridiculous.
03:11 It's ridiculous.
03:12 After you finish up, I want you to come back and tell me why you think it is that.
03:15 But keep going.
03:16 Okay.
03:17 So the thing is, I think it's wrong because I believe it's an opportunity for the West
03:23 to dump their junk in Africa.
03:24 Come on.
03:25 That's what I wanted to get from you.
03:28 So, you know, because there should be systems in check, to kind of check some balances in
03:35 place to ensure that what we are importing is good quality.
03:40 I mean, if we're sending stuff to Europe, just imagine when you're taking a flight,
03:44 they even spray the plane so that you don't take your bugs.
03:48 So why do we have to get defected clothes, right?
03:52 How do you define equity?
03:53 I have a definition.
03:54 I want to hear yours.
03:55 Equitable is when everybody gets an opportunity to voice their opinion and for their consideration
04:03 to be part of a decision.
04:04 And currently, that's why I say it's not equitable because it's like, it's not balanced.
04:10 You know, the relationships have to be symbiotic.
04:13 It has to benefit both parties.
04:16 In this particular case, it's extremely parasitic because here we are importing junk.
04:22 We have no, you know, we don't even have the opportunity to pick what we want.
04:28 It's built for us.
04:29 We only have a package for us.
04:30 You better take it.
04:31 You know, like there's no opportunity for you to even unravel it and see if this is
04:37 actually something that is good for your country.
04:40 And in the market, we go to the consumer market.
04:42 That's when they actually find out about the 40% when they open the bill.
04:47 And then it ends up in the ground field because what you do is you pack it on the side and
04:53 in the middle of the night, the waste management company just take it and has no right to take
04:58 it.
04:59 So it ends up here.
05:00 So this is a community.
05:01 That's a community.
05:02 That's a living culture community.
05:03 Yes.
05:04 People live there.
05:05 You see livestock, you see human beings, you see kids jumping.
05:11 This is a community.
05:14 And unfortunately for us, this is what we can do.
05:16 This is the best we can do is to burn this junk.
05:19 And that alone also admits.
05:22 You've got a whole different crisis happening in the air.
05:25 What is the government doing?
05:26 So people were suggesting that we should ban secondhand clothing.
05:31 And I keep telling it's going to be extremely.
05:35 So stop the importation.
05:38 You know, it's so multifaceted and so nuanced.
05:40 How are you just going to stop someone's livelihood?
05:43 You understand what I'm saying?
05:45 That people weren't making ends meet from actually importing these clothes.
05:50 The women in the market who actually take a thousand to 2000 CDs a day home.
05:55 But there's another challenge.
05:57 You know, they talk about developing the local fashion industry.
06:01 How can you develop the local fashion industry when you have cheap clothing coming in from
06:06 China, from Australia, from UK, from Europe?
06:10 Just think about it.
06:11 You bought this beautiful jacket from my friend Chocolate.
06:14 There's a premium to it because it has to go through all the layers of a supply chain
06:19 to be able to source fabric, to be able to produce, to be able to afford electricity.
06:22 He makes high quality clothing, high quality, right?
06:26 And even the retail is not cheap where his stores are.
06:29 So it all comes in the pricing.
06:31 How is he going to compete with a second, you know, secondhand clothing?
06:35 But anyway, he can't because it's going to be a cheaper option for the average Ghanaian.
06:41 So that is also tightening the growth of the local industry.
06:45 And that is why I feel government needs to step in, not by banning, but we need to put
06:49 in measures, right, to actually make it more equitable.
06:53 When I say that, let's give us, let's take opportunity to do quality control before the
06:59 goods actually come.
07:00 What would that look like?
07:01 So look at importation, exportation points in Europe, Australia, and China.
07:08 Ensure that the agents that are basically managing the goods are from Europe and from
07:16 Ghana or wherever in Africa it's going to ensure that there's a system to check the
07:20 quality before they actually build the clothes so that we can import the right clothes.
07:26 And then there should also be moderation.
07:28 If you're going to bring secondhand clothing, there should be a premium to pay so that that
07:32 can enhance the local industry to actually, you know, for us to be able to develop a plan
07:38 that we need to put certain barriers for people to make it, you know, like a set price in
07:44 terms of the pricing, right?
07:45 So if you're bringing in secondhand clothing, the value should actually be priced at the
07:50 same level as a local industry.
07:52 If not more.
07:53 To stop the cannibalism.
07:54 Exactly.
07:55 So, so are there particular countries that are violating this more than others in the
08:04 West?
08:05 I think in Ghana, if I remember correctly, the bulk of it comes from Australia and the
08:11 UK.
08:12 Nobody would have guessed Australia.
08:13 What do you think about those two environments?
08:18 Do you think that has them being an outsized participant?
08:21 You know, I think if you talk about fast fashion, right, let's also add like China to the mix
08:31 because there's a lot of overproduction that has been done in these countries.
08:36 I think it's the refined kind of environment or infrastructure for, to produce fast fashion.
08:44 These countries have that.
08:45 If you look at Europe.
08:46 So brands like, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not.
08:54 Okay.
08:55 It's a fast fashion brand.
08:56 H&M in the US.
08:57 Yes.
08:58 H&M.
08:59 I can't remember.
09:00 H&M I think is Swedish, but even they are, to me, they're trying to find a way.
09:05 They do sustainable, which, you know, so I can't really talk against them, but they
09:10 have brands that are just completely greenwashing by, you know, kind of supporting communities.
09:16 They're not addressing the problem.
09:18 They're trying to throw money at what they think are solutions to the problem.
09:22 But yes, sheen is a big past fashion brand and, uh, and as a global fast fashion, exactly.
09:30 So I think, and then you have like your ASOS, you know, all of these are fast fashion platforms,
09:35 but I think what the key thing here is, if you look at Europe, right, there is such a
09:43 slayer for luxury.
09:44 A European believes in craftsmanship.
09:47 They don't mind spending lots of money, euros, thousands of euros to buy something that was
09:53 made by let's say Versace or Gucci or, you know, like the big brands.
09:58 Then you, or even like, if you look at the French culture, like an LVMH or, you know,
10:04 exactly.
10:05 So they basically are more into craftsmanship and into buying extremely premium and luxury
10:12 groups versus the other parts of the world where the infrastructure is just there to
10:16 produce in a fast, fast, fast manner.
10:18 And that is why we're getting, you know, that shift in, are you saying that luxury
10:23 brands actually are not contributing to this?
10:26 No, they're not.
10:27 They produce less at higher costs.
10:30 Exactly.
10:31 And high quality.
10:32 Higher quality.
10:33 So people will keep them and share them down for generations.
10:36 Exactly.
10:37 We should not shift into mimicking or copying fast fashion.
10:41 We should focus on the craftsmanship and the premium nature of, because culturally we do
10:46 beautiful things.
10:47 I mean, you go across the continent and you will find some of the most beautiful textiles
10:51 in the world, right.
10:52 That have been pilfered and all of that, but whether you do it in a traditional African
10:57 silhouette or another silhouette, the value and potency of the way that our textiles are
11:07 made, the stories behind them, what they mean culturally, what they provide is seconds to
11:17 nothing.
11:18 Exactly.
11:19 And that is lovely.
11:20 I mean, I don't know what they do with embroidery, but like, there's not really another continent
11:23 in the world that produces our multifaceted textiles in really different contexts.
11:29 Exactly.
11:30 And everything is focused on craftsmanship.
11:33 And these are things that can be passed on from generation to generation.
11:36 So if you talk about the core values of luxury, craftsmanship is at the center of it.
11:42 And I like the fact that you talk about embroidery in China.
11:44 Chanel was built as a business in Paris or France based on a specific craftsmanship.
11:51 And today, something that's very French.
11:54 So why can't we take that?
11:56 Look at the Maasai culture in Kenya.
12:00 They make beautiful beads.
12:03 And they have their own plaid.
12:08 Yes.
12:09 Because everybody thinks plaid is European.
12:11 They do.
12:12 But what is happening is the appropriation of that craftsmanship into the international
12:18 luxury.
12:19 Exactly right.
12:20 Right.
12:21 That's actually...
12:22 Okay.
12:23 So what you just said is really important.
12:24 On one hand, fast fashion is dumping.
12:27 Yes.
12:28 On the other hand, luxury is not dumping.
12:30 No.
12:31 They are preparing.
12:32 Exactly.
12:33 What we create to create their stuff.
12:35 Thank you.
12:36 The Impact Fund for African Creatives.
12:38 Talk about it.
12:39 We created a platform that has a three-pronged approach to solving these two things you just
12:45 talked about.
12:46 Adding on women's empowerment, especially through economic empowerment.
12:51 What does that look like?
12:52 Make it feasible for people to do.
12:53 So for instance, we talked about the fact that the local fashion industry needs to be
12:59 developed.
13:00 How do you develop something if you're still in your infantile stage?
13:03 How do you compete globally?
13:05 We need to create a platform for fashion designers here to be able to learn the tools to compete
13:12 globally.
13:13 And that is what our incubator does.
13:14 It takes them through a 12-man program, very rigorous, where you work with industry experts
13:20 to build your business.
13:22 So you have the robust business plan behind your creativity.
13:27 So that when Dior shows, you can also show in Paris, but it's not just about the show
13:32 and the models and the press, which is really important.
13:36 It's actually the bottom line is profitability.
13:39 So we are teaching designers to think about profits.
13:44 When do I break even?
13:45 How do I build a business plan?
13:47 How do I pitch to investors?
13:49 How do I bring capital into my business?
13:51 How do I put a board together?
13:52 All these things are very, very important to actually building a business.
13:56 So that is the first stage.
13:57 Then after you've gone through that, we then have an early stage ventures fund that can
14:02 then put equity into your business and take a stake.
14:05 I take a board position and I ensure that you do the things that you're supposed to
14:10 do.
14:11 You adhere to your business plan and you don't deviate from it.
14:15 You spend wisely.
14:16 You focus on hitting your targets to be profitable.
14:19 Then once they're done, there's also the development and infrastructure, which is what you see
14:24 here.
14:25 When we say development and infrastructure, we're taking this jungle, converting it with
14:31 European partners into t-shirts and send it back to Europe.
14:36 And say here, buy this for a million dollars.
14:39 Exactly.
14:40 Exactly.
14:41 So at every level, women are involved.
14:43 And why I say that is we've made it part of our objective to employ, at least not employ,
14:51 but invest in women ventures that are backed by women, whether through the founder or the
15:00 women can also play a role in the supply chain.
15:03 So it doesn't necessarily have to be a woman founder.
15:06 It could be that you're working with community leaders, for instance, or leaders.
15:11 So that also transcends to that empowerment by economics.
15:15 You have to empower women economically so that they can...
15:18 That is how all those gender parity issues will be solved if you put women at the forefront
15:23 and the economic community.
15:24 And so the CEOs of home culture and community, when they're well, we all well.
15:28 Right?
15:29 We talked about the Messiah.
15:30 One of the things I love about them is one of their greetings that they give one another
15:33 is how are the children?
15:34 Oh, wow.
15:35 The only answer that is acceptable is the children are well.
15:39 Wow.
15:40 So if you think about, and in the US you have the Native American culture that believes
15:44 if you really want to make an impact, do a change that the seventh generation will benefit.
15:50 Think that big.
15:52 Right?
15:53 Wow.
15:54 So when you talk about what it means to work on changing the livelihood, we are talking
16:04 about something that number one should measure from where the least of us are.
16:09 If you and me doing well, we are not doing well.
16:14 And this is Africa, by the way, this is very much how we live, but we should be measuring
16:18 how we're doing by this.
16:20 Yes.
16:21 Regardless of what I have.
16:23 Yeah.
16:24 That's mine.
16:25 Yeah.
16:26 And until that is good, I'm not good.
16:29 Whether I'm there or here.
16:30 Yeah.
16:31 So these are all secondhand.
16:32 So these are denim.
16:33 You do underwear.
16:34 Can you see? so this is what they unveil. yes. so you see the packs and those are the
16:55 bales.
16:56 So these are what come out of the shipping container?
17:00 No, actually these are plastics.
17:02 This one.
17:03 That's what comes out.
17:04 Yes.
17:05 Yes.
17:06 Yes.
17:07 The bottom one.
17:08 So they have like a central point where they take it.
17:09 So these guys go and pick, you see the bales?
17:12 They pick the bales from the wholesale agents.
17:16 Then they, because this is a retail site and then they spread it on the air.
17:20 Hotel agents.
17:21 What do you mean?
17:22 Wholesale.
17:23 Wholesale.
17:24 Yeah.
17:25 So they are the ones that import it from different points.
17:28 Yeah, exactly.
17:29 Look at the underwear.
17:31 To me, this is like, make sure they get a picture of the underwear.
17:37 That one right there.
17:38 You can bras.
17:39 And they're used.
17:40 Yes, used bras.
17:41 So to your point, what I said about chief to chief, all the barriers you mentioned are
17:46 important, but part of it is reminding us what we do.
17:51 The power to exist in seven generations is what Africa is.
17:55 It's true.
17:56 Our tribe.
17:57 Our culture.
17:58 Like we've got centuries of generations.
18:01 We just need to remind ourselves that the skills, the approaches and the processes can
18:08 be applied here.
18:12 We need work done.
18:13 We're not helpless.
18:14 We need work done and we need strategic partners.
18:18 Yes.
18:19 That's what I was going to ask.
18:20 So if you are listening to this conversation and I'm going to ask two on two levels, I'm
18:26 going to ask it to you as a person and I'm going to ask you as an organization.
18:30 So I'm a girl.
18:31 I don't have a stylist, nor do I have any desire to be a stylist, but style is my hobby.
18:37 So putting clothes together is fun for me.
18:39 I try to do anytime I do something public, I must have on something from a black owned
18:43 brand.
18:45 But if I am me and I'm listening to this conversation with you and I'm thinking, I'm thinking I
18:53 still like my hobby and style.
18:55 But what's one thing I can do differently to support as an individual?
18:59 Then the same question for the organization.
19:03 If I live in New York and I'm a girl who loves fashion and I'm not going to stop loving fashion,
19:10 what can I do from the one seat I sit in to support the campaign?
19:15 Then same question if I'm an organization.
19:18 So for the organization, because we are, we established ourselves as a fund because we
19:24 need resources to be able to achieve all of these.
19:28 You know, this is a great, it's a big, so funds, right?
19:33 You need funds, you need money, you need money to achieve all of this.
19:37 Like taking all of this, sorting it out, taking it to the factory, it's money.
19:42 So from organizations in the US and beyond, we need to mobilize more money to be able
19:49 to address this because it cannot be left as a government problem.
19:53 You know, I always say that in Africa, we have a lot of challenges, education, access
19:59 to good health.
20:00 So the government is always putting out fires.
20:04 You know, we're in a country where we're now trying to negotiate with IMS for a bailout,
20:09 right?
20:10 So we have enough problems, but as private sector, we can come together through crowdsourcing,
20:17 crowdfunding, donations to actually support organizations like ours, platforms like ours.
20:22 So as an individual partner, I can contribute.
20:25 Yes, we have a grant fund.
20:27 So if you go to our foundation, which is African Fashion Foundation, we've set it up in a way
20:37 that we are building an ecosystem of different funding, I'll say modalities.
20:44 First is people that just want to donate for a tax receipt.
20:47 We can go through the grants fund and that goes through the foundation.
20:50 And if you're an investor or an individual that you have funds and you want to invest,
20:55 we take minimum 100,000 into our fund, and that gives you a share certificate.
20:59 So you can either go through our early stage fund or our development and infrastructure
21:05 fund.
21:06 But you can come in as an organization or as an individual at any level.
21:10 If you don't have money, which is also fine, you may be a student, you may be a professional,
21:17 but still want to be supported, you can join our community because we have a community
21:21 of mentors for our early stage brands.
21:24 For instance, we run a program from January and since then we've had about five mentors
21:29 come and just talk to the different designers and help them.
21:32 Because you may be privy to information sitting in New York that a local creative here doesn't
21:37 have access to.
21:38 Information is capital too.
21:39 Yes.
21:40 If somebody wants to be a mentor, how do they sign up?
21:41 Same site?
21:42 So that is www.iffa-c.com.
21:47 That is the site for the fund.
21:50 So you send in, there's a page where you can actually put a form where you can fill all
21:56 your information and let us know what your interests.
21:58 It could be that you want to do research with us.
22:00 We've had people approach us about research.
22:03 Just recently, we talked to an institution, I can't mention their name, they were doing
22:08 research on this particular thing.
22:09 And I sat in the room with them for an hour to see what kind of statistics they have and
22:14 what we have.
22:15 And they're like, "Oh, Roberta, you've actually done the work.
22:18 So let's see how we can support and enhance the work that you're doing."
22:23 So it could be information, it could be capital, it could be just even being an ambassador
22:30 for us.
22:31 We need ambassadors, we need people to spread the good word on what we're doing on a global
22:37 scale.
22:38 It could be hosting stakeholder meetings for us to come into your city and talk to stakeholders
22:43 to see how we can engage them.
22:45 Because this is, it's not just Africa's problem, this is a global problem.
22:50 It's coming to you next.
22:51 I think we should let these fast fashion brands, we should hold them more accountable for the
22:57 action because I'm a scientist by the way, by education.
23:02 What does that mean?
23:03 What does it mean?
23:04 I studied at Georgetown University, biotech and biochemistry.
23:07 And I know- In the US.
23:08 The US, yes.
23:09 And I'm telling you that if you look at the life cycle of making clothes, clothing and
23:19 I'll say fashion industry contributes, is the second largest polluter of the environment
23:25 behind fossil fuels.
23:27 The process of making clothing has a lot of impact on water because it takes a lot of
23:33 water to actually get cotton-
23:35 So the production of it is an environmental concern to begin with.
23:38 Concern to begin with.
23:40 So we need to do things in moderation.
23:42 We cannot be overproducing because that is also creating a very accelerated impact, negatively
23:53 accelerated impact on the environment.
23:56 And that comes to affect the rest of the world.
23:57 If you look at what is happening globally with tsunamis and earthquakes, this is all
24:03 the impacts of climate change.
24:06 So as a consumer, if you're on the internet ordering your clothes, do it in moderation.
24:12 Don't do it because, okay, I can wear this t-shirt and just throw it out tomorrow, so
24:18 let me buy the next.
24:19 Do it in moderation.
24:21 Also try and talk to the people producing the clothes.
24:25 Try and ask them very interesting questions.
24:27 How are you producing?
24:28 How is it impacting the environment?
24:29 Who are you employing in your production?
24:30 Are you employing children?
24:31 Are you paying salaries?
24:32 All these things are important.
24:33 One of the things I was just talking to Chocolate about this yesterday is taking the things
24:42 that I'm usually getting something made.
24:43 I have a more eclectic style, so I tend to end up in higher end shopping just because
24:48 of what I like, texture and color and weight.
24:51 If I do fast fashion, that means I lost some of my luggage.
24:54 I really don't usually do that.
24:55 I'm doing like jewelry, not clothes.
24:58 But one of the things Chocolate and I talked about was a lot of the stuff that I choose
25:03 to wear, and I'm just giving my own personal testimony.
25:06 I get made or is distinctive enough to our pie won't wear it again for five years.
25:11 So I'll keep it.
25:12 I don't throw it away.
25:13 So I send it to Chocolate, who's in Ghana.
25:15 I live in the US, and say, "Remake this for me."
25:18 Because even if, whether I was going to wear it over those five years or not, sending it
25:22 to a designer or doing it yourself creates the thriving economy.
25:27 So thinking about how to redo the look you invested could be on that list of five.
25:32 And using fashion designers to do that so that the dollar of that article of clothing
25:39 keeps rotating even though the clothing never changes and doesn't end up here.
25:45 And that is what is upcycling.
25:47 And a few brands that are actually upcycling, they're taking also the secondhand clothing
25:52 in the market and then creating collections out of that.
25:55 So I think it's a brilliant idea to select maybe a handful of designers and just have
26:00 a call to action.
26:01 Let them upcycle a few pieces.
26:02 You are going to help us produce a list of designers in Ghana who would help with redesign.
26:09 And how to ship your things to them.
26:13 How to engage with them virtually.
26:16 To have them take what your hobby or investment may be and reimagine it so that the dollar
26:23 value, so the economy of fashion is renewed without the waste.
26:29 Without the waste.
26:30 You can help us connect us to designers who do that.
26:33 And the reality is it'll be almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
26:36 Because here's what's going to happen.
26:39 You get what you pay for.
26:43 Something chocolate made for me can be taken apart and remade six times because of his
26:49 craftsmanship.
26:52 Something a place that rhymes with lace-o-snake can't take that much undoing.
27:03 So what could happen is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
27:07 But the process of trying to get your clothing remade to extend the dollar and not create
27:13 harm might teach you why investing in a higher quality garment made by an African designer
27:20 is wiser.
27:21 Because the dollar can grow and you can be fly multiple times.
27:25 Multiple times.
27:26 I love it.
27:27 That's a great plan.
27:28 Right?
27:29 I love that.
27:29 (upbeat music)