The Secret Life of Your Clothes

Documentary in which Ade Adepitan explores the afterlife of some of the clothes we donate to charity shops; where do they actually go? It turns out most don't ever reach the rail of the local charity shop; they are exported to Africa. Our castoffs have created a multi-million pound industry and some of the world's poorest people pay good money to buy them.

In this film for This World, Ade Adepitan tells the story of the afterlife of our clothes. He follows the trail to Ghana, the biggest importer of our castoffs. Ade meets the people who making a living from our old castoffs. But not everyone is profiting. With cheaply made western clothes flooding the market, the local textile industry has been decimated

The deluge of our clothes isn't just destroying jobs, it has also had a seismic effect on Ghanaian culture. Western outfits are fast replacing iconic West African prints and traditional garb. Ade travels to remote villages to finds everyone wearing British high street brands.