Okrika clothes are second-hand clothes that are usually imported into Nigeria. The clothes are known as Okrika clothes because the business of importing second-hand clothes started in a part of Rivers State named Okrika.

According to oral history, the importation of Okrika clothes can be traced back to the early 1950s, and at that time, Okrika town was the only part of the country that was able to import used clothes into Nigeria from Europe and Asia.

The business of importing Okrika clothes became very lucrative because the clothes were cheaper and more durable than the locally made clothes. Therefore, this made different people to patronize the business while others ventured into the importation of Okrika clothes.

Although some people see Okrika clothes as items for the lower class, the clothes have become generally accepted in almost all parts of the nation because of its quality and affordability.

Currently, in any part of Nigeria you travel to, Okrika clothes can be found in those areas. The clothes are also known in several names in the country such as: “bend down select”, “bo si corner” which means to go to a corner in the Yoruba language. Other Nigerians have also given it a more modernized name known as thrift wears.

The clothes are known as “bend down select” because it is often displayed in a pile on the floor, and the buyers have to bend down and pick the ones they want. It is also known as “bo si corner” because some of the buyers are ashamed to try the clothes on in public, therefore they go to the corner to try the clothes on before they buy it.


Finally, although there is a ban on the importation of good in the country, Okrika clothes are imported from different parts of the world; especially in the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

Reference Sources:
https://www.legit.ng/1174691-origin-okrika-clothes-nigeria.html

O.P you forgot to mention that okrika clothes have also been a means of foreign exchange
Got my first dollar from okrika shorts

I go there for shorts mostly. It never was an option in my younger years. I recently realized boutiques stock their shelves with high end versions of the clothes. Naija na cheating all around; if you no cheat person, person go cheat you.

Ohh now I know

Okrika slang :na mumu dey go boutique