Crowdfunding since 2010
We are an upcylcing African sneaker company using recycled materials from Ghana to economically and infrastucturally strengthen local communities as well as building a bridge between Europe and Africa through intercultural exchange and commerce.
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Funding period
9/29/14 - 11/14/14
Realisation
28/10/2015
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Minimum amount (Start level): €
8,000 €
City
Berlin
Category
Fashion
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What is this project all about?

This is not just a fashion statement, our shoes help people to help themselves. GUTTA SOLES incorporates recycled materials, fashion, and social responsibility into a unique and durable product. Each pair of shoes is handmade using used car tires and recycled fabrics from seamstresses and tailors in Ghana. Our artisans have skills passed down through a rich lineage of African creatives, and now those same skills are making products that are being exported internationally to benefit the local community.
This campaign will be GUTTA SOLES’ first introduction to Germany as well as the rest of Europe. I've had a lot of positive experiences in Berlin where people have asked me where my shoes are from. These very personable discussions led me to see that people in Germany are committed to supporting our cause.
This project is about creating more job opportunities for the local artisans in different communities of Ghana which will make our production more efficient, provide our workers with social security and healthcare, and to help bring their products to the international community. We are changing the world one sole at a time. With you!

What is the project goal and who is the project for?

GUTTA SOLES has had a positive response to our initial collection, but the company can not succeed without financial backing. That is where you come in. With your support we can give qualified artists a platform to succeed. Our goal is simple, to create economic independence by means of artistic creativity. This does not only support the artists but also the communities in which they live.


We aim to raise €15,000 and utilize it in three steps. Our first step will be to stabilize our workshop, living conditions, and healthcare of our artists. Next, we will start training an additional 12 artisans that can be integrated into our workforce. The final step will be releasing our new “Ambassador Collection”. Our “Ambassador Collection” is made up of five different shoe designs that are reproduced using recycled materials.

Why would you support this project?

GUTTA SOLES is producing a fashionable product that is essentially making the world a better place. The production of these shoes are reducing waste by upcycling old materials such as car tires and fabrics, and creating jobs which benefit individuals and the communities in which they live. This project supports economic creativity in a developing nation, and it gives artists a chance to make a sufficient income which helps to build up our production infrastructure in Ghana. Plus, the shoes look really cool!

As our volume increases, it will give us the opportunity to make our products affordable for the average Ghanian. We hope to export to other developing nations as well and not only the established economies of the world

How will we use the money if the project is successfully funded?

Once we establish the basic needs of the artists involved, our production will be moved from the capital, Accra, into the regional hub of Aflao. This will enable us to employ more people, provide better healthcare, and increase the quality of the living conditions of our artisans. Establishing a more eco-friendly workshop that will lower our carbon footprint and give us the space to accommodate our growing production needs is also very important.

We will use the funding to enable us to take an active role in community projects such as the digging of boreholes for clean water supply, sanitation “clean up” projects to collect waste in the community, and implement solar energy technology.

Who are the people behind the project?

The GUTTA SOLES team is made up of an alliance of artisans, our crowd of supporters, and myself, Leslie Bentil. Born to Ghanian parents in the US, I saw firsthand the lack of inter cultural exchange between the “first world” and developing nations. As well as being the founder of Gutta Soles, I am an Afrobeat/Hip-Hop musician. Under the stage name Kromanteng, I use my music to build bridges between people and cultures. While visiting Ghana in 2012, I saw a unique opportunity to support my community and assist artisans who had great potential, but lacked the platform and the business know-how to gain economic stability from a marketable product. The combination of my interest in fashion and my desire to increase inter cultural exchange gave us the guiding principles of Gutta Soles which holds creativity as means of economic independence.

Our crowd is the force behind this project because your support is essential for us to reach our goals and fuel the change that will make our world a better place.

GUTTA SOLES

Cooperations

Ethletic

Big thanks to Ethletic for their partnership!

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