As the harsh economic situation bites harder, making the purchase of new clothing impossible for many, Nigerians, both young and old, literate and illiterate have developed a special passion for second-hand clothes sold in different parts of the state, writes YEMISI OLUSINA.
Many years back, the generosity behind the gesture of an Aunty or Uncle who gives out his or her fairly-used clothes to a member of the family were at times viewed with some daint of scorn. “Does she think I do not have a dress of my own or am I now a beggar that they have to be donating clothes for? Look at the clothes … they are even over-used, raggy and degrading… who does she even think she is? ” some beneficiaries who were supposed to have jumped up in excitement at the gifts would often have said in some corners after pretending to be appreciative of the gifts.
But those years when parents would enter into shops like Kingsway, Leventis and other shops like Bata where new ready-made clothes and shoes were sold were long gone. Most of those clothes are currently imported and as such have been zoomed off the reach of the common man.
However, all hope is never lost with Nigerians. Instead of brooding over the situation, they have devised an alternative to this need. One look around confirms this. The imported dresses, tops and trousers, scarves even shoes are still around us. If you are still wondering how, the answer presents itself daily at the nearby bus stops, motor parks and several markets around where second-hand clothes are sold on daily basis.
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Among the people of the South-East, these clothes are popularly known as Okrika, in the North, they call them, Yoriyori (hot and fresh) while people from the South-West, refer to them as bosikoro ko wo( get to the corner and try it on). In Lagos, for instance, they are accorded some elevation. Some call them, bend-down clothes; others simply refer to them as second-new.
Whatever the name given to them, these clothes are second-hand clothes. They are already used clothes, not just the types that are traceable to anyone’s relatives far or near in the country but they are from different unknown people who live in different countries. Mostly whites, their ways of life, hygiene, dressing, food and all are different from that of anyone in the country.
But Nigerians has continually favoured them. Mrs Janet Obiora, a resident in Yaba area of the state, said she prefer fairly used clothes to new ones because they are of high quality, especially those in the first grade, these grade, according to her last longer.
Obiora added that these clothes are designed in a way that they make them uncommon. “Unlike the new clothes that one will wear and soon find it on another person on the street, if you know how to choose well, you will have types that won’t be found on anyone for a long time. Even the cut and sew clothes, once the material is new in the market, you can be sure that you will soon find about 20 people wearing it on your street and in your church. That is why I prefer second hand clothes. And as for my choice of first grades, it is because they are not always used by many people. That’s why we call them second-new,” she said.
Speaking about the price range, Obiora said, “a top goes for between N500 and N700; you see that they are affordable?”
During our correspondent’s visit across the state recently, students were seen in droves buying in large quantity. Even civil servants, artisans and market women among others also park their vehicles, motorcycles by the side of the market while making their purchases, thereby causing unnecessary traffic gridlocks.
Most desired of these wares however, include tops and trousers, shorts, shoes, slippers and so on.
One of the students, a student of University of Lagos, Biodun Idris who spoke to this reporter said she patronizes second hand clothes because they are cheaper than those found in boutiques, adding that quality-wise, some of the Okrika clothes and shoes are even better than new ones. “ I have no apology for patronizing second hand clothes traders. They are cheaper and last longer than the ones you call new. There is no money in town or how much do my parents give me that I will be buying new clothes that are paraded in expensive prices. These clothes are blessing in disguise, I am telling you. Once we wear them, no one can say they are not new,” he said.
To add to this, Idris revealed that some boutique owners even visit the markets to buy clothes for sale, saying, “They come and select good ones, wash, iron, repackage and sell to their customers as new.”
Idris told this reporter that some of his friends both male and female also buy to resell at retail prices to their colleagues in schools.
“I can name some of my friends that also come to buy these clothes and resell on campus to some of our mates who would not want to come to the market. So, it is indeed more than what people see, more people are into the business,” he boasted.
Closely supporting Idris on this is Christine, a student of the Lagos State College of Education (LACOED) who admitted being an ardent patron of these clothes since childhood. “ I have been wearing okrika clothes, even undies since I was younger than this. They are durable and cheaper. I see nothing wrong in buying them,” she said.
Strangely, some other people have different stories to tell about these wares. Mrs. Peju Okiki who lived in Akute area of Ifo Local Government in ogun State told The Nigerian Xpress a bad experience. “ I was on my way to the office one day when the skirt I wore got torn and I could not get a tailor to help me sew it.
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I quickly went to where they sell okrika clothes and got a skirt from there. I was already getting late for my 10 o clock Monday meeting and no one would accept or believe me if I had told them that I had to be absent from the meeting because my skirt got torn. Unfortunately, a day after, I started having rashes around my buttocks before I knew it, it has spread to my thighs. I did not know it came from the skirt I bought. The rashes went so bad that I ended up in the hospital. It was there that I was told that it was the okrika I bought. It took me months before I could be totally cured. The dark scar is still there till now,” narrated Okiki.
Mr Benjamin Ogwuchi on his part said he stopped his wife from buying Okrika undies when she contacted skin rashes around her breasts. He said: “I never knew my wife was in the habit of buying used braziers and pants until she started itching her breasts and everything was looking very red. At first, I was scared because the rashes appeared thick and round all under her breasts. I thought it was a symptom of cancer. But when we got to the pharmacist, we were told it was a skin infection. I was really mad at her. How would she because of cheapness buy second hand bra? I am happy she did not buy a used pant, only God knows what would have happened. Of course, she has learnt her lessons.”
Speaking on the health implications of second hand clothes, a dermatologist from Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Dr (Mrs) Adekemi Anifowose said although there is nothing bad in buying and wearing a second hand clothes but they can be hazardous to the skin. “Most of these clothes are being sprayed with all kinds of chemicals to preserve them before shipping them to their different destinations. These chemicals are sprayed so that they don’t bring insects in the country.
Enumerating some of the skin infections that users of fairly used cloths were prone to, Anifowose said include Candidiasis, fungus skin disease, furunculosis and allergies among others.
According to her, Candidiasis disease is a fungal infection of any of the Candida (yeast) species, while Furunculosis is the presence of furuncles or boils.
“It is unhealthy to just buy and wear them without first washing and ironing them. Candidiasis infection is not like other skin infections. The candida is very notorious to get rid of even after washing the clothes. You must soak them in a hot water with a disinfectant, sun dry and iron properly to prevent any infection, “explained Anifowose.
In spite of the health risks involved, economists are of the opinion that a lot of Nigerians will continue to patronize bend down boutiques for as long as the nation’s economy remains bad. Mr William Adeniyi who spoke with The Nigerian Xpress said respite will come when the country’s textile industry gets revived. “If you noticed, you will recall that the sale and preference for used clothes came to being ever since the country’s textile industries folded up.
If government will refocus on these industries and make them come alive again, the rush for second hand clothes will become a thing of the past. If this is not done and the economy remains as bad as it has been, then no one should blame anyone for whatever choice made. It is all in the name of survival. We can only caution and educate people on how to keep safe with these fabrics,” submitted Adeniyi.
