The Or Foundation
The Or Foundation is a non-profit organization operating in the United States and Ghana that works at the intersection of environmental justice, education, and fashion development.
History
The Or Foundation was co-founded in 2011 by Liz Ricketts and Branson Skinner with its primary mission to identify alternatives to the dominant linear model of the fashion industry. In 2016 the non-profit shifted gears from educational programming to focus on supporting Kantamanto Market, which sees an estimated 15 million secondhand garments every week from countries like the USA and UK with 40% of these garments leaving the market as waste.In 2024, the foundation launched a collection of upcycled clothing by independent Ghana artists on Vestiaire Collective. In January 2025, after the fire of the Kantamanto Market in Accra, the foundation committed $1 million in support of emergency fire relief efforts, and committed to finance the electrification and installation of a security system throughout the new market. The Ghana Used Clothing Dealers’ Association, which represents importers of secondhand clothing, accused The Or Foundation of publishing false data aiming to tarnish the image of the used clothing sector in Ghana. However, the market traders responded in support of the non-profit.
Activities
The foundation is known for its on-the-ground research and direct-action programs centered on the Kantamanto Market in Accra, Ghana, the world's largest market for secondhand clothing.The foundation contributes to the Speak Volumes campaign which demands major clothing manufacturers to publicly disclose the real volume of their annual production.