During orientation at the Tengeru market, Chris and I took a walk. The part of the market we chose to explore was the clothing sector. There was aisle after aisle with tables piled high with all kids of clothing. There were stalls with only jeans, others children’s clothes and other stall selling undergarments and outerwear. The stalls seemed unending. I wondered if this was something unique to Tengeru. When we came to Dar Es Salaam, we visited an area called Big Brother. It is another open air clothing market selling second hand clothes from stores in the States, mostly. I found jeans that still had Value Village tags and jackets with Good Will labels. Tanzania is one of the places where unwanted clothing gets a second life.
When in Kiboroloni, I saw how these vendors end up with such large amounts of clothing. The items are bundled by type – pants, shirts, jackets, or category – women’s, children’s, and men’s – and then baled. They get covered with large feed sack type bags and banded like hay. The business owners buy the clothes by the bale and then are left to sell what ever is in the set. Some trading goes on between vendors.
The most fascinating things in the types of t-shirts I’ve seen. Some of the stranger ones include a Royal Canadian Mounted Police training camp shirt; another from Pacific Northwest Kinetics Center. My favorite though was the Hong Kong Jewish Center shirt. I keep hoping to see a Street Rock t-shirt, but I have yet to be so lucky. (Street Rock is a company I previously worked for. We screen printed our own shirts, too.)
Walking through big Brother or the market in Tengeru, I can see styles from years ago that are just making it here. Nothing seems to go out of style. Clots are worn until they are falling apart, usually after they’ve been passed on a few times. The pieces are then used to make other things or are tuned into rags. Very little goes to waste. There is not a disposable clothing market here.
I know already that I have to leave clothes behind to get my things to fit in my bags on the way home. I planned it that way. I know that whatever I leave will be used by someone for something.
While there is a fashion conscious segment of the population which is evident in more urban areas, the majority of people just need clothes in general. Ladies wear kangas over most everything. Men use the t-shirts, shorts and jeans for work. Second hand suits and dresses are donned by less well off people who need business attire for their jobs. Clothing is viewed as a necessity and not purchased as a luxury by most. There isn’t enough income to be fashion conscious. There are styles of dress that are more popular. By styles, I mean conservative over not so and lades will buy dresses almost any day over pants. Big sleeves and floral prints along with colors seem to be popular. Any dress that is lacy and frilly won’t last long in the shops as someone with snatch it up. Sunday mornings in church look like a boutique exploded. If you look carefully though you can see the alternations that have been made because sometimes the thread or zippers don’t match. Holes have been carefully stitched up. The dress is still worn because it is the best that they have.
When in Kiboroloni, I saw how these vendors end up with such large amounts of clothing. The items are bundled by type – pants, shirts, jackets, or category – women’s, children’s, and men’s – and then baled. They get covered with large feed sack type bags and banded like hay. The business owners buy the clothes by the bale and then are left to sell what ever is in the set. Some trading goes on between vendors.
The most fascinating things in the types of t-shirts I’ve seen. Some of the stranger ones include a Royal Canadian Mounted Police training camp shirt; another from Pacific Northwest Kinetics Center. My favorite though was the Hong Kong Jewish Center shirt. I keep hoping to see a Street Rock t-shirt, but I have yet to be so lucky. (Street Rock is a company I previously worked for. We screen printed our own shirts, too.)
Walking through big Brother or the market in Tengeru, I can see styles from years ago that are just making it here. Nothing seems to go out of style. Clots are worn until they are falling apart, usually after they’ve been passed on a few times. The pieces are then used to make other things or are tuned into rags. Very little goes to waste. There is not a disposable clothing market here.
I know already that I have to leave clothes behind to get my things to fit in my bags on the way home. I planned it that way. I know that whatever I leave will be used by someone for something.
While there is a fashion conscious segment of the population which is evident in more urban areas, the majority of people just need clothes in general. Ladies wear kangas over most everything. Men use the t-shirts, shorts and jeans for work. Second hand suits and dresses are donned by less well off people who need business attire for their jobs. Clothing is viewed as a necessity and not purchased as a luxury by most. There isn’t enough income to be fashion conscious. There are styles of dress that are more popular. By styles, I mean conservative over not so and lades will buy dresses almost any day over pants. Big sleeves and floral prints along with colors seem to be popular. Any dress that is lacy and frilly won’t last long in the shops as someone with snatch it up. Sunday mornings in church look like a boutique exploded. If you look carefully though you can see the alternations that have been made because sometimes the thread or zippers don’t match. Holes have been carefully stitched up. The dress is still worn because it is the best that they have.
It’s nice being in a place where cleanliness and tidy ness matter, not the label in your shirt.
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