Emerging Fervour

Growing up in Monrovia, Liberia was an experience I won’t forget. So, when Vice created a documentary called ‘THE VICE GUIDE TO LIBERIA’ – an 8 part series (see video at the end of this entry), I got a little excited, especially because they noticed something really out of the ordinary…a lot of Liberian kids wearing some pretty cool vintage tees. Naturally, Vice decided to write about it.

LIBERIAN GIRLS AND BOYS have better vintage tees than you

In a country where almost 60% of the population live on around 60p a day, most new clothing is out of budget for the average Liberian; so what they wear come from donations from the US and large used clothing wholesale purchases. Liberia’s economy doesn’t have enough buying power to choose what comes into the country…”demand does not control the goods supplied; it’s the other way around”, Vice mention.

It’s war-torn infrastructure means that there is hardly any domestic production of anything, let alone clothing. Trends are determined by what comes into the country and these kids choose the tshirts based on colour, design, size and quality and of course price…the ironic quotes such as ‘LIFE, LIBERTY & LOW CABLE TV PRICES’ and ‘ ENOUGH WITH THE LEARNING ALREADY’, don’t come into play when choosing a shirt for these kids.

Most of my family still live around Africa, and it’s the norm for those of us who could, to giveaway unwanted clothing to the people surrounding our lives. It’s so difficult finding a charity that sends clothing to the needy instead of selling it on – but if you ever do find one you trust, then do send any unwanted clothing to people who need it.

THE VICE GUIDE TO LIBERIA