“Fast Fashion, Slow Waste” by Polish-born photographer Kasia Trojak, explores the aftermath of our discarded clothing and the lives built among it.
Accra, Ghana’s capital and largest city, hugs the coastline of the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. Standing on the shores and looking out at the horizon, it’s easy to imagine an idyllic paradise. But in large stretches of the coastline, you’re confronted with another reality: beaches cluttered with plastic bottles, polythene bags, wrappers, and layers of wet, soiled clothing so thick that the sand beneath is barely visible.
In Accra, waste is disposed of through open dumping and burning, creating small, smouldering mounds that waste pickers navigate every day. At first glance, the waste problem seems rooted in poor infrastructure, and while that’s partly true, the issue goes much deeper.
Fast fashion and overconsumption play a significant role in the crisis. Ghana receives about 15 million used clothing items weekly from Western countries and China, with 40% ending up in sprawling urban landfills. The consequences of this waste go beyond the environment; it impacts the lives of fishermen, waste pickers, and their families, who live in makeshift homes amidst the debris.
Kasia Trojak was drawn to Accra after learning from a fellow photographer that clothing waste donations had overwhelmed the beaches, with discarded fabric now woven into the very fabric of the landscape and the lives of those who call it home. She decided to document this reality, traveling from Los Angeles, where she’s based, to Accra to capture a story that she hoped would pose the question: “How much do we really need, and at what cost?”
Initially, as an outsider, Kasia felt torn, grappling with feelings of guilt, and questioning, “Am I even the right person to photograph this?” However, her approach—grounded in compassion, curiosity, and a genuine desire for understanding—allowed her to connect with the people she met, to build relationships and share their stories.
Though many of the images are warm, tender and hopeful, others convey the sheer scale and severity of the issue. Mountains of burning waste releasing toxic smoke into the air and into the lungs of those who depend on it for survival; beaches where the sand is barely visible beneath layers of clothing and plastic, now embedded into the very grains.
It’s striking. And for Trojak, it left a deep personal mark. Though she had researched the problem extensively before arriving, witnessing it firsthand was something else entirely. “After you see and experience things on your own, it changes you, and it stays with you forever,” 她说。. “You can’t unsee what you’ve seen, and it forces you to feel a certain way. Having knowledge and understanding makes you re-evaluate your own impact.”
The experience reshaped her approach to fashion: she now buys less, repairs and reuses more, and carefully considers each piece before bringing it into her life. She hopes the project can spark that same shift in others.
“I hope people understand how their choices—often made with little thought—can ripple out and affect lives far beyond their own,” 她说。. “We live in a consumerist society, but I strive to live more consciously and sustainably, and I believe photography has the power to inspire that shift in others.”
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