About
I WILL RISE is a premium footwear and apparel label based in Cologne, Germany.
The production of our products takes place in Ghana, Portugal and Germany.
We unite fresh designs with vegan and sustainable products and offer this to the people who share our vision. We see the creative process behind the creation of our clothing and sneakers as a conversation that has risen above commercial marketing cycles of the ordinary fashion industry.
The label I WILL RISE was founded by Visual Artist Nando Nkrumah and took off through a Kickstarter campaign beginning of 2021. We invest a lot of time and patience to create unique footwear and apparel that is a blend of high quality artisanship from Ghana and Portugal. We are working with female run Batakari-cloth-weaving workshops from the North of Ghana as well as individual Kente-Weavers from the south and central parts of the country. The direct connection to our weaving-workshops and shoe manufacturers is very important to us to know the environment and people who create the ingredients for your special pair of sneakers.
Nando (founder of I WILL RISE), Paula (Enterpreneur) and her son Berry, Photo by Elolo Bosoka
Sustainability
We research constantly for innovations within sustainability and include them in our products.
All our products are 100% Vegan.
Our sneakers contain recycled cotton lining, organic cotton laces, vegan leather based on corn, soles containg 50% recycled rubber and an insole that is more then 85% biodegradable.
Ethical Production
We respect people as much as we respect the planet.
We are working close with our partners in Ghana and Portugal to have a direct communication and interaction. Our partners agree that the working conditions and workers rights have a priority for us.
The shoe manufacturing in Portugal takes place under fair conditions including strict EU-Regulations, quality control and material checks.
The lining material is produced in Spain and the corn starch based vegan leather comes from Italy.
Production in Paula's workshop
Master-Weaver Mandela
The Art of Weaving
Keep it REAL
Our shoes contain real cloth with a message
We use original hand-woven Kente and Batakari-cloth from Ghana. Not only weaving is about quality and aesthetics, it contains often important messages which let us rise.