George Baah

George Kwame Baah still remembers what it was like to be barefooted in school and not by choice. Growing up in Akim-Oda, Ghana, his family was able to pay for his schooling but little else, including shoes. Today Kwame is a successful engineer, lay minister and a shoe designer in Fort Worth, but he hasn’t forgotten his childhood struggles and the economic hurdles his friends and family still face in Ghana. Step by step, he’s making a difference in their lives with his recently launched company, Kwame Baah Shoes. Kwame’s staff of trained craftspeople in Ghana creates men’s and women’s sandals following Kwame’s own designs. The styles, which feature decorative elements like braided straps, hand-stitching and colorful embossed leather accents, blend Ghanaian aesthetics and contemporary design, along with an important feature added just for the Western market: sturdy, foot-cradling, comfortable soles.