To deal with the problem, a number of African countries have banned imports of second-hand clothes in recent years as part of efforts aimed at protecting their national textiles industries.

CNN: Is your old t-shirt hurting African economies?

In the cities of the rich world no woman is expected to wear a garment until it is worn out. (Men, unaccountably, tend to hold on to their clothes for years, but the industry is working on the problem.) The clothes industry would be in a pickle without a constant supply of clients dissatisfied with the contents of their wardrobes.

ECONOMIST: Bonnie Cashin