Pepe may refer to secondhand clothes that are commonly worn by its population in Haiti. These clothes are usually sent from the United States.[1] The Haitian textile industry has suffered due to the widespread popularity of pepe.[2] There have even been discussions about banning the import of pepe.[3] However, this is unlikely since the general population continues to wear pepe, which include many brand names that otherwise would be inaccessible.[3]
The import of pepe began in the 1960s, during the Kennedy administration, leading to the moniker "Kennedy clothes".[1] Since the 1980s, hundreds of tons of pepe has been imported, usually packaged in huge bales.[4] The clothes are so affordable, that a used boy's t-shirt from the United States could be sold for as little as thirteen cents in Haiti.[1] Furthermore, at an affordable cost, local seamstresses make modifications to the clothing.[4]
In recent years, Haiti has seen an increase in the amount of clothing coming from the United States as a result of fast fashion.[5]