{"id":7946,"date":"2025-01-29T14:07:09","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T13:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/panafrica-a-brand-of-sneakers-made-in-africa\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T14:07:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T13:07:09","slug":"panafrica-a-brand-of-sneakers-made-in-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/panafrica-a-brand-of-sneakers-made-in-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Panafrica: a brand of sneakers made in Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr>\n<p><iframe id=\"ausha-HJ2i\" style=\"border: none; width: 100%; height: 220px;\" src=\"https:\/\/player.ausha.co\/?showId=qxYJmIJ4O3gr&amp;color=%23000000&amp;podcastId=E05q4ulRw3XP&amp;v=3&amp;playerId=ausha-HJ2i\" name=\"Ausha Podcast Player\" height=\"220\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/player.ausha.co\/ausha-player.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<hr>\n<div id=\"model-response-message-contentr_1f4f7876f82a584a\" class=\"markdown markdown-main-panel stronger\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<h2 data-sourcepos=\"9:1-9:267\"><b>Vulfran De Richoufftz recounts 10 years of Panafrica development<\/b><\/h2>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"9:1-9:267\">Fashion is a powerful vector for change, capable of building bridges between cultures and generating a positive social impact. With this in mind, Vulfran De Richoufftz and his partner have launched Panafrica, a sneaker brand that combines style, ethics and commitment. <\/p>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"13:1-13:201\">The Panafrica story is above all one of passion and commitment. Passion for Africa, where Vulfran grew up and lived, and commitment to fairer economic and social development. <\/p>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"15:1-15:143\">&#8220;I&#8217;m a lover of the African continent,&#8221; confides Vulfran. We wanted to make fashion a lever for social transformation in Africa.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"17:1-17:443\">The idea of creating Panafrica arose from a simple observation: Africa possesses a wealth of artisanal know-how and quality raw materials, but lacks the structures to make the most of them. Vulfran and his partner decided to create sneakers made in Africa, using organic and fair-trade cotton from Burkina Faso and collaborating with local production workshops, notably in Morocco and Ghana. <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"19:1-19:222\">We&#8217;ve made choices that are sometimes difficult, sometimes very complex, that also make us doubt,&#8221; explains Vulfran. But in the end, they&#8217;re choices we&#8217;re proud of. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3 data-sourcepos=\"21:1-21:45\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5159 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/4-819x1024.webp\" alt=\"Panafrica\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\"><\/h3>\n<h3 data-sourcepos=\"21:1-21:45\"><strong>A landmark collaboration with Agn\u00e8s B.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"23:1-23:237\">One of Panafrica&#8217;s most striking collaborations was with Agn\u00e8s B., a major French brand. This collaboration highlighted the skills of Esther, a Ghanaian craftswoman specializing in batik. <\/p>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"25:1-25:262\">&#8220;We came across a woman called Esther, who over time became a friend of the brand,&#8221; says Vulfran. And one fine day, Agn\u00e8s B came looking for us to do a collaboration with Panafrica and wanted to use batik.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"27:1-27:118\">This collaboration has been a real human adventure and has enabled Esther to see her work recognized and valued.<\/p>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"29:1-29:259\">&#8220;When I went back to see Esther, who didn&#8217;t quite understand what was going on, I went to show her the photos of the fashion show, the pairs in the boutique, etc.,&#8221; Vulfran recalls. A truly emotional moment. <\/p>\n<h3 data-sourcepos=\"31:1-31:42\"><strong>A committed, sustainable business model<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"33:1-33:315\">Panafrica is committed to making a positive impact on the African continent, economically, socially and environmentally. The brand works in compliance with environmental and social standards, favoring organic and fair-trade raw materials, and supporting local communities. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"35:1-35:202\">recycled raw materials<\/li>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"35:1-35:202\">organic cotton with Fair Trade label<\/li>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"35:1-35:202\">soles made from 30% recycled rubber.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"37:1-37:138\">The brand is part of a &#8220;slow fashion&#8221; approach, offering sustainable, quality products designed to last over time.<\/p>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"39:1-39:303\">&#8220;The best way not to pollute is not to buy, or to buy second-hand products, or not to produce,&#8221; stresses Vulfran. But in any case, buying second-hand products, etc., is the best way. After that, what I emphasize is that a Panafrica sneaker is made to last.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5164\" style=\"width: 1090px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5164\" class=\"wp-image-5164 size-et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth\" src=\"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/kim-weber202-1080x721.webp\" alt=\"Talk Impact - WSN Show\" width=\"1080\" height=\"721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/kim-weber202-980x654.webp 980w, https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/kim-weber202-480x320.webp 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1080px, 100vw\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5164\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Talk Impact &#8211; WSN Show<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 data-sourcepos=\"41:1-41:44\"><strong>A production plant in C\u00f4te d&#8217;Ivoire<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"43:1-43:229\">Panafrica&#8217;s ambition is to develop a footwear industry in Africa, creating jobs and training people locally. The brand plans to open a production plant in C\u00f4te d&#8217;Ivoire in September 2025. <\/p>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"45:1-45:236\">&#8220;Our idea is to set up our factory, hire people, do things right, in other words, train people,&#8221; explains Vulfran. We&#8217;re going to hire around 25 people starting in September, then around 50 over the course of 2025.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"47:1-47:142\">This factory will enable Panafrica to produce its own shoes and develop new collaborations with African brands.<\/p>\n<h3 data-sourcepos=\"49:1-49:56\"><strong>Sustained growth and future prospects<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"51:1-51:187\">The company is growing steadily and is now distributed in 150 outlets in France and abroad. The brand aims to double this figure within the next two years. <\/p>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"53:1-53:434\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve doubled digit in sales growth,&#8221; enthuses Vulfran. And we&#8217;re currently, I&#8217;m competing with Who&#8217;s Next, but we&#8217;re exhibiting at Maison et Objet, and we&#8217;ve had some great days since yesterday because, in fact, there are a lot of concept stores that come looking for us because they need, precisely, different stories, different products, complementary offers that tell a different story.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"57:1-57:449\">Panafrica is an inspiring brand that proves it is possible to reconcile ethics, aesthetics and entrepreneurial success. Through his commitment and vision, Vulfran has created a brand that makes sense, values African know-how and contributes to the continent&#8217;s economic and social development. Panafrica is an invitation to consume differently, to choose responsible and committed fashion, and to believe in a more united future.  <\/p>\n<hr>\n<\/div>\n<p>Read also<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/podcast-s1-ep4-yoann-aboulkassimi-le-financier-creatif-le-petit-dakarois\/\">Yoann Aboulkassimi, the creative financier | Le Petit Dakarois<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wax-at-the-musee-de-lhomme\/\">Wax at the Mus\u00e9e de l&#8217;Homme<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/violaine-beh-sagna-fondatrice-datelier-22b\/\">Violaine Beh Sagna, founder of Atelier 22B<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"model-response-message-contentr_1f4f7876f82a584a\" class=\"markdown markdown-main-panel stronger\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<hr>\n<p data-sourcepos=\"57:1-57:449\">\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover Panafrica, a brand of ethical and committed sneakers that promotes African know-how and contributes to the continent&#8217;s economic development. Meet Vulfran, its passionate co-founder, who tells us the story of this entrepreneurial and human adventure. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7946\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africafashiontour.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}