We ❤️ our fans for mentioning us, and we thank New York Magazine for recognising our work and style. Click here to read the whole guide!
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Emission n°23- Afrodyssée from CREA'TV on Vimeo.
]]>Here’s how the story begins: when we drew up our beautiful designs at a cafe in Accra (shoutout to Cafe Kwae) we tried to find sock manufacturers worldwide. Ghana doesn’t have any sock factories, nor does the rest of ECOWAS. We started talking to factories in China, India, South Korea, and Turkey.
Most of the samples we got back were sub-par. Our designs are complex, and manufacturers couldn’t make them. When they tried, they had errors, resulting in white stains (see below). Some of the manufacturers who managed to get our designs right made crappy socks that were very cheap. They would tear easy, have low cotton content, and when you wore them, they would stretch and the colours lost their brightness. We preferred to pay more (much more) for quality.
This is what bad quality socks look like. More about this manufacturer in a moment
It took us well over five months to find a manufacturer that could produce socks we were proud of, that would keep their bright colours over time, stretch well, and showcase our designs. Then, a few months ago, one of the Chinese manufacturers who we turned down after they produced some of the worst samples for us (see above), sent us a marketing email. They were offering to sell us cheap knock offs of our own designs. Yes, really. They must’ve lost our contact and thought we were a new company. We’re dealing with them legally, however the knockoffs have made it online and are being sold.
We’re not worried about you guys buying those - they’re not as nice as ours, the quality is subpar, and the colours don’t last after a few washes. You guys have a good taste and wouldn’t do it to us. We take it as a compliment. After less than a year and a half in business, we have copycats coming after us from half a world away. We will solve this issue legally for now, and practically in the future, when we’re able to start our own sock production facility in Ghana.
So if you love our brand, there are two ways you can help our team: First, share our page and this article, and if you see these knock-offs posted online, leave a comment, tell customers those are fake, and send people our way. Second, we’re actively looking for investors for West Africa’s first sock factory. Drop us a message if you have someone in mind. We’re proud of our growth and are looking forward for bigger, better, and original things. Stay tuned.
]]>For example, all our packages are shipped through GhanaPost. And all the accessories, such as our Kente gift bags, are made in Ghana by local artisans. About six months ago, when we just started, we met Madi, a local tailor in Accra’s Arts Centre. He was not able to afford his own sewing machine, or workspace. Therefore, he was renting a spot and a machine at someone else’ shop, working as an employee.
Thanks to our customers, and your demand for Madi’s gift bags, in four months he managed to buy his own sewing machine, and opened his own shop. Madi now has a store that makes Kente bags and other accessories, some of which we will feature on our website soon. If you’re in Accra, let us know and we’ll help direct you to his store!
This is a thank you note, from us, to you. Your purchases not only support Afrisocks, but also other local entrepreneurs here in Ghana.
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We figured the best way to start our blog is to tell you more about the origin of our designs. Afrisocks is inspired by the Ghanaian traditional cloth - Kente. Its colours, geometric shapes, and designs are a symbol of Ghana and its culture.
Kente, is the most widely used textile in Ghana. Traditionally it was created by a hand-loom, strip by strip. The strips were then woven together to form a larger fabric. One interpretation of the word Kente is "strip weaving". Another explanation for the origin of the word "kente" is also commonly tied to the Asante phrase, "ke-ente," which means "whatever happens to it, it will not tear."
Kente was originally woven from thin raffia yarn fibers. It's origin is contested between the Ashanti and Ewe tribes in Ghana. Because it is spun on a handloom, it is colourful and has sharp geometric features. Squares, Zig-Zags, and lines. In past times kente used to be the cloth worn by royalty.
In modern times, Kente switched from being a luxury item to an every day pattern. It is now printed on fabric, and made into dresses, pants, bags, and with Afrisocks even socks.
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