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In Côte d’Ivoire, the circulation of second-hand garments, known locally as yougou yougou, is not abstract. It is visible in markets, in landfills, and in the daily wardrobes of thousands of people. At the Institut français of Abidjan, the exhibition Brillantissim’ Upcycling asks: if clothing exists in excess, what should we choose to do with it?
Conceived by STUDIO 4 and the Ethical Fashion Initiative, with guidance from designer Vincent Esclade, the project presents upcycling as a practice rooted in local realities. STUDIO 4 co-founder Pacy Kadio-Morokro explains that the objective was not simply to show upcycled pieces, but to create exchanges between professional designers, students and amateurs of all ages. What is exhibited is the result of shared experimentation and expertise.
Photos by Philippe Loret.
Rather than focusing on existing work, the project placed workshops at its core. In January, sessions were held in Abidjan bringing together fashion students from EIFP Michèle Yakice and Carine N, alongside children, teenagers and adults through public programming at the Institut français.
Vincent Esclade supervised additional workshops with STUDIO 4 team members Yann Djedje and Wilfried N’Dri, who developed more technical pieces. Every garment in the exhibition was created during these workshops with a deliberate emphasis on transmission: the aim was to work with the generation that will shape fashion tomorrow and introduce upcycling as both a creative and professional option.
This approach reflects a deeper cultural continuity. As EFI Programme Officer Océane Joncoux notes, “Upcycling is a trendy word, but in reality, these are things grandmothers were already doing. Not throwing away, repairing, transforming.” The project did not introduce a new logic; it helped reframe an existing one.
The workshops were envisioned as laboratories, with participants working with garments they already owned, carefully chose in market or with recovered textile waste. Learning happened in the making – cutting, dismantling, reconstructing – rather than through traditional top-down instruction.
Beyond experimentation, Esclade introduced a structured design methodology while insisting on the importance of building a vision. A garment, he explains, must be considered not only in its materiality as a product to sell, but also through the image it conveys and the coherence it builds across a collection. The workshops were therefore also an invitation to think strategically: to build a narrative, not just a garment.
For Esclade, working with existing garments is not a limitation but a productive constraint. “I am sometimes blocked by the immensity of possibilities. Upcycling gives a frame that activates creativity.” Rather than seeing constraints as obstacles, participants explored techniques to adapt and innovate, deconstructing garments, reusing specific cuts, creating new textile surfaces, and approaching pattern-making closer to the body.
Second-hand clothing is everywhere in Abidjan and occupies a complex position. On one hand, it is the most affordable way for many Ivorians to dress. On the other, its presence creates pressure on local economies. Without such competition, the textile and garment industry might eventually produce clothing at lower prices. For now, many Ivorian designers create unique pieces or limited series which are sold at a higher price point.
During the public roundtable – Reinventing Fashion: Upcycling as a Driver of Social and Economic Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire – two distinct positions emerged. Some participants argued pragmatism: second-hand clothing is already present, so why not transform it into value rather than letting it accumulate in landfills? Others voiced a sharper critique. Shirts sold for 500 CFA compete with locally produced pieces priced at 25,000 CFA. “It’s unfair competition. We cannot align and it weakens the development of local fashion,” argued Pacy Kadio-Morokro, STUDIO 4 co-founder. The discussion also introduced a nuance – for some consumers, affordability is the priority. For others, supporting local craftsmanship and design is a conscious choice, and one they can afford.
The debate revealed two approaches: entrepreneurs such as L.E. Creations or BLACK GNTLMN, who uses second-hand garments into their business models by selecting, curating and recontextualizing them; and those who see the continuous flow of imported clothing as a systemic barrier to building a viable domestic industry. Rwanda’s decision to strongly tax second-hand imports to stimulate local manufacturing was referenced as a reminder that policy plays a decisive role in shaping fashion ecosystems.
On view until the end of February, the exhibition did not claim to resolve the tensions around second-hand imports in Côte d’Ivoire, nor does it romanticize upcycling as a universal solution. As one participant put it, Africa is increasingly treated as the world’s dumping ground, and the quality of what arrives is declining. What the project’s most valuable contribution might be is the creation of a shared space for critical reflection and collective experimentation. In a context shaped by global surplus and local aspirations for creative autonomy, upcycling becomes a tool: one that can reveal contradictions, generate dialogue and gradually build capacity.
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