Fashion on a Budget – Thrift Shopping in Nigeria
If you were born and/or grew up in Nigeria, you probably remember that it was a "sin" to buy or wear secondhand or fairly used clothing, including shoes and accessories. People would hide to shop at markets and swear on anything that they had never purchased secondhand clothing, nor did they wear them.
“Okrika” “Gwanjo” or “Bend-down-select” as they’re locally called are fairly used clothing items that are purchased in open markets and sometimes boutiques that stock up on these articles of clothing. They are referred to as “thrift” today, which gives the term and act a more “sophisticated” tone.
Thrift shopping in Nigeria has existed for as long as I can remember. Almost (I mean all!) forms of clothing items ranging from underwear to office wear for both adults and children can be bought at very affordable prices. Some of the popular thrift markets in Nigeria include Yaba Market, Balogun Market and Aswani, all located in Lagos State. There are many more of these markets located in other towns and cities of Nigeria but most times, people from these areas travel to Lagos to purchase these items in large quantity to resell. Thousands of other people shop at these markets daily.
One of the key features of Nigerian thrift markets is that they "hold" on specific days of the week. For example, Tuesdays in Lagos is the Aswani clothing market day. It is a literal pop up shop as vendors come from all over the city to set up shop in designated spots — they pay stipends to the Market Unions for these spaces — on the ground or makeshift platforms. They do not own stalls and the market is really just under a bridge and along the sidewalks.
These days, thrift shopping is regarded as a hobby for some, while still being a very important part of the Nigerian economy. The average Nigerian family purchases roughly 70% of their clothing items from thrift markets.
With the advent of social media, a lot of Nigerians are now (publicly) embracing the idea of thrift shopping, thanks to fashion and lifestyle influencers who have glamorized the activity so much that everyone wants to go thrifting. There are a lot of thrift store pages on social media, where a buyer can view pictures of pieces that interest them and can instantly and discreetly purchase them.
It is also interesting to note that many Nigerian celebrities and influencers have “confessed” to shopping two or more items from thrift stores and markets.
You may ask, why thrift? Well, it comes as no surprise that many designer items which would naturally cost hundreds of dollars can be purchased as secondhand pieces for as low as N500 (< $1). Don’t ask me how I know.
Another reason people give for thrifting is that they are trying to save money, which is partly true. The other part is that thrifting people tend to always find unique and rare, sometimes limited edition pieces that no one else around them will have. It’s a thrilling adventure, sorting through piles and piles of clothing to find that one item that is just special.
