Obroni Wawu October 2025: The Festival That’s Redefining Ghana’s Fashion Scene

WRITTEN BY SENA WALTER

Accra’s Rawlings Park was the place to be over the weekend as this year’s edition of Obroni Wawu October(OWO) turned the city’s thrift and upcycling culture into a full-blown celebration. The annual festival, which has quickly become a staple in Ghana’s creative calendar, brought together fashion designers, artists, artistes, models, photographers and thrift vendors from all over the world, all to celebrate the heartbeat of Ghana’s secondhand fashion movement, Kantamanto Market.

Launched in 2022, OWO has evolved beyond a sustainability event, it’s now a fashion-meets-culture revolution, blending street style, creative innovation, and community pride. The name “Obroni Wawu,” which literally translates to “dead white person,” has been reimagined by organizers to tell a story of rebirth, creativity and circular fashion.

This year’s edition received a massive turnout, drawing fashion lovers, sustainability advocates, and culture enthusiasts from across Ghana and beyond. From vintage collectors rocking statement ‘80s denim fits to upcycle designers turning discarded clothes into runway-ready pieces, the festival was a living, breathing expression of Ghanaian creativity.

At the heart of OWO is Kantamanto Market, the global symbol of Ghana’s thrift ecosystem. For decades, the market has been a hub where traders and tailors retail, wholesale and transform imported secondhand clothes into something new, giving garments a second life. This year’s festival honoured that legacy, with traders and upcycle designers showcasing and selling their one-of-a-kind pieces, turning Rawlings Park into a vibrant open-air fashion district.

But OWO isn’t just about clothes, it’s about the culture. Sunday, 26^th October 2025 was packed with activities that kept festivalgoers buzzing, upcycling challenges, the Foose Drip Contest, and the Kanta Talent Show and live DJ sets that turned sustainability into a full-on vibe.

The stage lit up with performances from artistes like RCEE, Joey B, Iveth Stunner and MC Aldhan, while Sister Derby brought her signature energy to the crowd, blending music, art, and activism in a perfect creative mix.