Million-dollar hand-me-downs

A second hand clothes retailer folds second hand jeans at his stall at Owino Market in Kampala, the capital of Uganda,Friday Sept. 15, 2023. Downtown Kampala’s Owino Market has long been a go-to enclave for rich and poor people alike looking for affordable but quality-made used clothes, underscoring perceptions that Western fashion is superior to what is made at home. But, despite their popularity, secondhand clothes are facing increasing pushback. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

JOSTLING for space, people jam the crowded footpaths crisscrossing a massive open market in Uganda’s capital. They are mostly looking for secondhand clothing, sifting through underwear for pairs that seem new or trying on shoes despite getting pushed around in the crush.

Downtown Kampala’s Owino Market has long been a go-to enclave for rich and poor people alike looking for affordable but quality-made used clothes, underscoring perceptions that Western fashion is superior to what is made at home.