Educational Media Reviews Online

What happens to clothes donated to thrift stores? Since stores cannot sell it all, huge bundles are shipped to other countries. This film focuses on clothes donated to charity shops in Britain that end up in Ghana. The narrator, Ade Adepitan, is a Nigerian-born British man, and he gets around Ghana in his wheelchair as he shows viewers everything from where clothes are delivered, to huge markets where they are sold, and to remote villages where some may eventually end up.

Viewers will learn the various classes of clothes, depending on brand name label and condition, why U.K. clothes are preferred over the U.S. (it has to do with smaller sizes), and the vast used clothes trade in African countries.

The background music and the narrator’s voice, both have good sound quality. Visuals feature rich colors and professional editing, and consist mainly of city scenes and markets. The Secret Life of Your Clothes will be eye-opening for many, and a good discussion starter, especially the revelation that traditional African clothing is now not as popular because of the convenience of the used clothes trade. The narrator goes in search of kente cloth, talks to specialists who make this fabric, factory managers, tailors, and a professor, as Adepitan tracks down this beautiful fabric and attends a funeral, where many Africans wear the traditional clothes.

Even with the British point of view, Americans will learn what happens and many may want to find out more about used clothes being sent to other countries. This film, with its lively narrator and fascinating subject, would be a pleasure to watch and discuss in high schools, college classes, and by adult discussion groups. It is a good fit for both academic and public libraries.