Nairobi Fashion Week 2026 Sheds Light on Africa's Increasing Second-Hand Clothing Dilemma

A model showcases a design on the catwalk at Nairobi Fashion Week held at the Sarit Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, on January 31, 2026. (Image credit: Henry Naminde/Xinhua)

Africa’s Most Urgent Fashion Statement Shut Down Every Excuse You Had About Sustainability

Forget everything you think you know about eco-fashion. Nairobi Fashion Week Season VIII just wrapped, and the “Decarbonize” theme hit different.

This wasn’t your typical greenwashing parade where brands slap “sustainable” on bamboo tees and call it activism. No, this was a four-day reckoning at Sarit Expo Centre (January 28–31) that forced the global fashion industry to look itself in the mirror and face some seriously uncomfortable truths.

Brian Kihindas, the founder and creative director, came out swinging with facts most people don’t want to hear:

“Fashion is the second emitter of global carbon emissions.” Second only to fossil fuels.

Let that sink in while you scroll through another haul video. The stakes? Climate collapse, waste colonialism, and an industry built on extraction masquerading as aspiration. Nairobi said enough.

Day One: The Energy Shifted Immediately

The cocktail launch at Matteo’s Events set the tone. Invitation-only, yes, but the word spread fast.

Industry insiders, designers from Kenya, France, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Germany, and the USA mingled over drinks, swapping stories about what happens when you stop chasing trends and start building systems.

The vibe wasn’t networking. The vibe was war planning. Because here’s what people forget: sustainability isn’t some Western export Africa needs lessons on. African designers have been working with low-impact fabrics, repurposing materials, and building circular systems out of necessity for decades.

Kihindas made this clear:

“When you come down here to Africa, we are sustainable.”

This event wasn’t about catching up. This was Africa teaching the world how to stop destroying itself.

Days Two and Three: Where Policy Meets the Pavement

Day two brought fittings, a pop-up market flooding with ethical brands, and retail activations that proved conscious consumption doesn’t mean sacrificing style.

Then day three hit with panel discussions that went deep. We’re talking Kenya Fashion Council, Ananse Africa, and heavy hitters unpacking African solutions to broken fashion systems. Not theory. Solutions.

Lucy Rao, a Kenyan designer, summed up why fashion matters in this fight:

“Fashion is something used to spread any message because everyone likes something about fashion. And fashion is one of the biggest polluters of the planet. So, what better way to pass the message than a platform like Nairobi Fashion Week?”

Translation: if fashion broke the planet, fashion needs to fix the planet. No one gets a pass.

Day Four: The Runway That Proved Everything

The finale runway at Sarit Expo Centre (doors at 6 PM, show at 7 PM) delivered thirteen designers showcasing collections rooted in heritage, innovation, and upcycled brilliance.

Maisha by Nisia. Studio Lola. VAST. Molivian. A Touch of Kenya. These names matter because their work proves slow fashion isn’t boring. Slow fashion is luxury with a spine.

Designer John Kaveke closed his segment with a collection made from 80 percent upcycled materials sourced from Gikomba Market.

“I bought fabrics from the secondhand market and created pieces that still look fresh,” he said.

Fresh is an understatement. These garments looked expensive, intentional, and alive. Proof that waste becomes luxury when treated with craft and respect.

The staging matched the ambition. Dramatic lighting. Music that hit your chest. Models moving like they carried the weight of change on their shoulders. Because they did. This wasn't a performance. This was a prophecy.

The Gikomba Paradox: Runways vs. Reality

Here’s where things get messy. While Nairobi Fashion Week celebrated circular design and upcycled materials, Gikomba Market (one of East Africa’s largest secondhand clothing hubs) processes over 200,000 tonnes of imported used clothing annually.

Kenya imports bales of cast-offs from the Global North daily. Some pieces find new life. Most arrive damaged, low-quality, or fast-fashion trash destined for landfills within weeks.

The contradiction stings. Runways promoting slow fashion exist in the same city absorbing the waste of global overproduction. Africa supports roughly 2 million jobs and serves nearly half the population through secondhand markets.

But when substandard imports flood in, the continent becomes a dumping ground for problems created elsewhere. Trade sustains livelihoods. Trade also externalizes pollution and strain. Activists push for stricter port standards to reject low-grade waste. Regulators reinstate Extended Producer Responsibility policies.

Young designers scavenge markets and dumpsites to create closed-loop innovations born from necessity. The tension between survival and systemic exploitation defines the current moment.

What Decarbonize Demands From All of Us

“Decarbonize” refuses surface-level commitments.

The theme demands structural shifts: Cutting emissions across supply chains. Transitioning to regenerative systems. Championing durability and reuse. Integrating ethics into every decision.

Nairobi Fashion Week elevated sustainability from marketing gimmick to industry imperative. African designers proved true sustainability roots itself in heritage, necessity, and ingenuity. Collections featured locally sourced materials, traditional techniques, and innovative repurposing.

These aren’t experimental concepts. These are scalable models for conscious luxury the rest of the world needs to study and replicate.

Kihindas reminded everyone:

“The message is for us to decarbonise.”

Us. Not them. Not eventually. Us. Now. The runway became an export of African-led solutions to a crisis created by overconsumption, exploitation, and short-term thinking.

Why Nairobi Matters to Paris, Milan, and New York

Nairobi Fashion Week matured into a cultural, political, and environmental force. By centering “Decarbonize,” the event exposed contradictions in global fashion and inspired action beyond aesthetics.

Policy reform. Trade justice. Conscious consumption. Industry transformation. Fashion weeks spark conversations. Real change requires urgency across borders. Western fashion capitals love talking about sustainability while outsourcing production and dumping excess.

Nairobi showed receipts. The designs weren’t compensating for ethical production. The ethics elevated the designs. That distinction matters because fashion without responsibility is obsolete.

Every brand claiming commitment to the planet should send executives to Nairobi Fashion Week next season. Not for photo ops. For education. Because Africa isn’t participating in sustainable fashion.

Africa is pioneering sustainable fashion while cleaning up messes created elsewhere.

The Prediction: Nairobi Becomes the New Standard

Five years from now, fashion historians will point to Nairobi Fashion Week 2026 as the moment the conversation shifted from aspiration to accountability.

The moment Africa stopped asking permission to lead and started setting the terms. The moment designers proved you don’t need to choose between beauty and responsibility. The future is regenerative, intentional, and already unfolding in Nairobi. The rest of the industry needs to catch up before climate collapse makes the choice for everyone.

Decarbonize wasn’t a theme. Decarbonizing was a deadline. The question isn’t whether sustainable fashion works. The question is whether brands care enough to make changes when profit margins tighten and comfort zones shrink.

Nairobi already answered. What about you?