Starting October 1st, 2024, the Global Fashioning Assembly (GFA) will kick off the second edition of its biennial online symposium, marking an important moment for the global fashion industry. Expanding from 14 coalitions in 2022 to 20 in 2024, the GFA now includes fashion coalitions across Africa, the Americas, New Zealand, and Europe, highlighting the growing interest in decentralized and decolonized fashion narratives.
The GFA, initiated in 2021 by the Research Collective on Decoloniality & Fashion (RCDF), seeks to challenge the dominance of Western-centric fashion events that often gatekeep the industry and limit access to knowledge, creativity, and market opportunities. By decentralizing fashion dialogue, the GFA aims to provide local designers and creators with a platform to influence global fashion discussions, shaping business opportunities, ethical practices, and sustainability trends.
This year’s symposium will bring together diverse stakeholders through online and offline events, engaging local communities in discussions about fashion practices, heritage, and sustainability. The program will address crucial business topics like sustainable sourcing, decolonial creative processes, and the economic impact of fast fashion waste, while presenting a variety of activities such as workshops, performances, and craft sessions.
Ghana’s participation in GFA 2024 is particularly noteworthy, represented by the Ghana International Fashion Team (GiFt). Led by renowned designer and fashion activist Beatrice Bee Arthur, GiFt’s presentation is themed “Sewing a Greener Future for Ghana.” The coalition will focus on the economic and environmental impacts of waste colonialism, addressing how fast fashion waste and imported secondhand clothing are polluting Ghana’s textile industry. By tackling these issues, the group aims to highlight opportunities for sustainable fashion businesses and entrepreneurs in Ghana to lead a shift toward greener practices, creating economic value while reducing environmental harm.
Key participants from Ghana include Ewurasi Ansah – Art Activist and Fashion Re-Designer (LittlebigEsi), Frederick Bamfo – Artist, Writer, and Researcher, Faustina Apea – Sustainable Fashion Entrepreneur, Sela Adjei – Artist, Author, and Lecturer (Efosela) and Beatrice Bee Arthur – Designer and Fashion Activist (Artfully Yours, Bee Arthur)
The public can engage in the GFA 2024 events, providing access to valuable discussions on reshaping the future of fashion, with a focus on sustainability, cultural heritage, and decolonial practices that could redefine global fashion supply chains.
