Ghana’s fashion industry is set to take a major step toward sustainability with the launch of the Reclaim Textile Network (RTN), a new NGO founded by Dr. Christiana Okai-Mensah of the Accra Technical University’s Fashion & Textiles Design Department.
The official launch, scheduled for Friday, May 30, 2025, at GNAT Hall in Accra, will feature renowned fashion designer and eco-feminist Beatrice “Bee” Arthur as a Special Guest.
Bee Arthur, who also serves as the Fashion Domain Leader of the Ghana Culture Forum, is widely celebrated for blending fashion, advocacy, and environmental consciousness. Her participation at the RTN launch signals strong industry endorsement of the NGO’s mission and emphasizes the critical role sustainability is poised to play in the future of Ghana’s fashion economy.
RTN aims to disrupt traditional fashion cycles by promoting the creative re-use, repair, and repurposing of textile waste. By engaging students, artisans, and community members, the organization seeks to foster a circular fashion ecosystem that reduces environmental impact while creating new business opportunities in textile recovery and sustainable design.
Thi initiative arrives at a time when global and local fashion markets are increasingly demanding environmentally responsible practices. For Ghana’s fashion entrepreneurs, RTN will seek to offer a platform to innovate, differentiate their brands, and tap into the fast-growing sustainable fashion sector, both domestically and internationally.
Ghana continues to receive a large number of imported fashion goods, with an estimated import worth $323 million and believed to be increasing, with about 15 million items arriving weekly from markets in the United Kingdom, China, and North America. Most of these goods often end up at dump sites contributing to the already worsening fashion waste in the country.
However, the Fashion Domain Leader Bee Arthur, is expected to deliver a keynote address encouraging stakeholders to embrace sustainable methods not just as a social responsibility but as a viable business strategy for growth and global competitiveness.
The Reclaim Textile Network’s launch will mark a significant milestone in Ghana’s fashion landscape, offering businesses, students, and artisans a new pathway to creativity, profitability, and environmental stewardship.
