UMOJA or the 100% vegetable sneakers from the Lancine Koulibaly and Dieuveil Ngoubou duo
Audio 03:01
Dieuveil Ngoubou and Lancine Koulibaly, co-founders of Umoja (from left to right) Â © Charlaine Croguennec
By: Maria Afonso
7 mins
Lancine Koulibaly and Dieuveil Ngoubou have risen to their challenge by producing sneakers without plastic or synthetic materials.
The two co-founders of Umoja have designed a 100% vegetable and biodegradable shoe with cotton, hemp, flax and Hévéa milk.
Sneakers produced between Burkina Faso, France and Portugal for fair trade.
Publicity
Dieuveil Ngoubon and Lancine Koulibaly, the co-founders of the shoe brand UMOJA, rediscovered the textile heritage and West African artisanal creativity, they added eco-design to make sneakers in plant materials.
We searched for a word in Swahili and 'Umoja' that sounded good.
It means unity in the Swahili language, one of the most spoken languages in Africa.
That's kind of all we're trying to put forward, it's with you, all together, hence the name unity: umoja. ”
Lancine Koulibaly was born in Guinea, he came to France to finish his higher studies like
Dieuveil Ngoubon
, born in Congo but who grew up in Ivory Coast.
In 2017, after their studies, they decided to cross the African continent from west to east.
Shoes and nature
Over the course of the meetings, they forge links with artisans, rediscover a very rich craftsmanship that respects the environment and faced with the threat of the disappearance of this heritage, they take action and found Umoja. The first step was to build strong partnerships.
Lancine Koulibaly
: "
The cooperative with which we work in Burkina, the central of Aja, which has existed for 50 years, promotes the professional integration of women who have experienced difficult situations, therefore, through the loom, these women manage to integrate into the society.
This cooperative offers us a multitude of textiles woven differently with dyes that are 100% vegetable.
It is organic cotton which is grown locally, which has not been bleached, which is spun by hand, which is also woven using old looms, and, for dyeing, they use minerals and plants that they find in nature.
We have decided to only use plant-based alternatives in the shoe.
"
The 100% vegetable Umoja shoe © Charlaine Croguennec
Solidarity and globalization
Plant-based, cultural, minimalist,
the Umoja shoe
makes the link between different know-how, Dieuveil Ngoubou
“
On the last collection, we worked on a much more rigid fabric, not at all transformed, which means that it already has hydrophobic properties.
By working on much tighter weaving techniques, this gives us an almost waterproof fabric.
We have combined the know-how of Burkina Faso with French and Portuguese know-how.
We can try to have a more positive globalization by producing responsibly and by putting forward, not only the people who are in the production chain, but also by using materials that are noble and compostable.
"
cotton, hemp, flax and Hévéa milk for the Umoja shoe © Charlaine Croguennec
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