PANAFRICA is an optimistic and engaged fashion brand inspired by Africa and produced on the African continent. An independent project since 2015, PANAFRICA is an adventure that we are building day after day with our loyal customers, our partners who trust us and our talented teams.
All our collections are imagined and produced between Paris, Casablanca, Abidjan, Accra and Bobo Dioulasso . Each piece reflects the breathtaking landscapes and warm smiles that we encounter on our roads.
PANAFRICA is a mindset. Our ambition: to produce differently, with respect for those who give life to our collections and mindful of the social, economic and environmental impact of our actions. From the purchase of raw materials to production, we strive to build a sustainable and virtuous project.
A DROP OF SUMMER
OUR VISION ?
Making fashion a lever for social and environmental transformation in Africa.
Our mission ?
Create sustainable fashion products that support local artisans and contribute to environmental and social initiatives in Africa.
SOME STATS
140,000
Followers on social networks (Facebook and Instagram)
80
Selective points of sale in around ten countries
30
Indirect jobs created in partner structures in Africa (Morocco, Ghana and Burkina Faso)
OUR PARTNERS
We make products that make sense.
The meaning is transparency, it is listening, it is the knowledge of the women and men with whom we work hand in hand, it is the pride of building a sustainable project with a positive impact, it It's about questioning our habits to move towards ever more committed and ethical fashion.
To create our collections we work hand in hand with our talented partners who over time have become true traveling companions. They are at the heart of our project and without them nothing would be possible.
Since its creation in 1968, Uniwax has been the West African leader in wax printing. Its products, sold under the Uniwax and Woodin brands, are exported to more than ten countries in West and Central Africa. Uniwax uses different processes to produce its range of products. The fabrics are coated with wax then dyed with a specific process guaranteeing very high color fastness. From engraving copper cylinders to dye baths, over 20 steps are required to produce a design!
Uniwax has been Panafrica's historic partner since 2015. Every season, we go to Abidjan to select the most beautiful patterns for our collections. We are fortunate to work directly with Uniwax, which gives us great flexibility and the ability to personalize the selected designs to offer unique collections.
We met Esther and her team in 2019 and fell under the spell of this talented and energetic lady. It is in her small workshop north of Accra (capital of Ghana) that Esther, her daughter and their 4 employees create original patterns and perpetuate a know-how well known in Ghana: the artisanal printing of Batik. Each season we develop new patterns alongside them for our collections.
We purchase our organic cotton canvases from Xoomba in Burkina Faso. Xoomba is an association founded in 2009 to establish a complete organic cotton textile production chain (GOTS certified) in Burkina Faso. In Burkina, the rainfall allows the cultivation of excellent cotton without watering, while cotton cultivation usually consumes large quantities of drinking water. Burkina Faso also has the advantage of having all the means of cotton processing: ginning and spinning.
Xoomba carries out ecological dyeing of reactive fiber cotton without heavy metals and works with artisan weavers on mechanical looms that do not require electricity. Xoomba employs around 25 people (mainly women) who earn a salary above the average salary in Burkina. Xoomba also trains young designers to produce finished products made in Burkina so that maximum added value benefits the country's economy.
The relationship between Hicham's workshop and Panafrica dates back to our beginnings. During our first meeting in 2015, we immediately felt a pleasant atmosphere in this family workshop and unique know-how guaranteeing high quality products. Very professional, Hicham supports us in developing our collections.
This workshop is certified by an external organization and complies with the rules of the ILO (International Labor Organization). This guarantees a code of social responsibility and ensures that PANAFRICA sneakers are manufactured in an environment where workers' rights are respected.
Since its creation in 1968, Uniwax has been the West African leader in wax printing. Its products, sold under the Uniwax and Woodin brands, are exported to more than ten countries in West and Central Africa. Uniwax uses different processes to produce its range of products. The fabrics are coated with wax then dyed with a specific process guaranteeing very high color fastness. From engraving copper cylinders to dye baths, over 20 steps are required to produce a design!
Uniwax has been Panafrica's historic partner since 2015. Every season, we go to Abidjan to select the most beautiful patterns for our collections. We are fortunate to work directly with Uniwax, which gives us great flexibility and the ability to personalize the selected designs to offer unique collections.
We met Esther and her team in 2019 and fell under the spell of this talented and energetic lady. It is in her small workshop north of Accra (capital of Ghana) that Esther, her daughter and their 4 employees create original patterns and perpetuate a know-how well known in Ghana: the artisanal printing of Batik. Each season we develop new patterns alongside them for our collections.
We purchase our organic cotton canvases from Xoomba in Burkina Faso. Xoomba is an association founded in 2009 to establish a complete organic cotton textile production chain (GOTS certified) in Burkina Faso. In Burkina, the rainfall allows the cultivation of excellent cotton without watering, while cotton cultivation usually consumes large quantities of drinking water. Burkina Faso also has the advantage of having all the means of cotton processing: ginning and spinning.
Xoomba carries out ecological dyeing of reactive fiber cotton without heavy metals and works with artisan weavers on mechanical looms that do not require electricity. Xoomba employs around 25 people (mainly women) who earn a salary above the average salary in Burkina. Xoomba also trains young designers to produce finished products made in Burkina so that maximum added value benefits the country's economy.
The relationship between Hicham's workshop and Panafrica dates back to our beginnings. During our first meeting in 2015, we immediately felt a pleasant atmosphere in this family workshop and unique know-how guaranteeing high quality products. Very professional, Hicham supports us in developing our collections.
This workshop is certified by an external organization and complies with the rules of the ILO (International Labor Organization). This guarantees a code of social responsibility and ensures that PANAFRICA sneakers are manufactured in an environment where workers' rights are respected.
GOOD TO KNOW
The wax market in Africa is today completely disrupted by the importation of Chinese wax, of lower quality and 2 to 3 times cheaper than a wax fabric produced in Africa (a Chinese wax costs on average 6,000 CFA francs. A wax printed in Ivory Coast is sold for 18,000 CFA francs). Whether in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana or Ivory Coast, many factories have closed down, unable to resist this competition.
Our choice to work with Uniwax allows us to support the local production of an authentic, high-quality fabric.
IN PODUCTION / WORN BY OUR CUSTOMERS
IN PRODUCTION
WORN BY OUR CUSTOMERS
TRANSPARENCY
Transparency is at the heart of our project. We have worked without intermediaries since our beginnings and know the women and men who work behind each Panafrica product. This transparency is a daily requirement because we have a duty to tell you what we do, how and with whom.
Since 2016, we have been building a sustainable project and we have nothing to hide. At a time when ecology and ethics are on everyone's lips, our duty is to give you all the keys to understanding our project.
From cotton cultivation to our logistics warehouse, including our assembly workshops, PANAFRICA will no longer have any secrets for you...
Morocco
Assembling the sneakers
- Workshop of Hicham and his father (122 employees including 30 women)
- 44 hours of weekly work on average (national average: 49 hours/
week) - Excellent working conditions according to the latest external audit report (salary
minimum, number of hours worked, 100% of employees under contract)
Ivory Coast
Place of wax production
- Uniwax based in Yopougon
- West African leader in real wax printing
- Construction of a medical social center in 2012
- Free care for employees and their families
Ghana
Batik dyeing workshop
- Workshop of Esther and her daughter (4 employees)
- Traditional wax printing (foam or wooden stamps)
- All steps are carried out manually
Burkina Faso
Cotton weaving and dyeing
- Xoomba
- 25 employees in Bobo Dioulasso (most of whom are women)
- Power looms that do not require electricity
- Low Impact Dyeing and Wastewater Treatment
FRANCE
Logistics Warehouse
- Centralization of the entire PANAFRICA stock
- BtoB and BtoC shipments
Italy
Leather tanning
- Mastrotto Company
- Bovine hides intended for consumption
- Semi-vegetable tanned leather
- LWG Gold rated label indicating compliance with safety standards, reduction of substances harmful to health and the environment, reduction in water and energy consumption
Portugal
Manufacturing of soles
- Company making our soles based on recycled materials
- 70% recycled materials from production scraps and our old crushed and recycled soles (Rebirth program)
- 1st sole manufacturer in Portugal to have GRS certification
- Peta certified (Vegan)
