Manufacturing
Producing far away doesn't mean producing badly.
Yes, we produce in Asia.
It only makes sense, since N'GO was born from a desire to preserve the ancestral craft of Vietnamese ethnic groups that Ronan (N'GO co-founder) lived alongside for 18 months. So it felt only natural to do everything in Vietnam. We hide nothing, least of all our country of manufacture.
Yet the challenge is a big one. Asia has a bad reputation, and Vietnam is often singled out when it comes to sneaker production. The reason? Years of exploitation, poor workmanship and abuse of power by certain famous shoe brands.
Well made in Vietnam.
It's up to us to prove that producing far away doesn't mean producing badly. Quite the opposite.
Our priority is to lead by example, doing everything we can to produce well in Vietnam, with the utmost respect for people and the planet. Earning social and environmental certifications, along with carrying out a carbon assessment every year, helps us measure our actions and their impact on both the environment and people.
We know our partners in Vietnam very well. From the very beginning, we've been in direct contact and deal with each of them without any intermediary, so we know exactly what their working conditions and methods are.
Ronan Collin, N'go co-founder
Vietnamese craftsmanship, the starting point of our story
The N'go project was born from a desire to protect the unique ancestral craft of Vietnamese craftswomen. Since 2016, our quest to preserve the traditional weaving methods of ethnic minorities has led us to several Vietnamese cooperatives, with whom a true partnership built on trust has developed.
Unique weaving techniques
Today we work with three cooperatives of independent craftswomen with singular and sometimes surprising techniques.
They buy the cotton threads at the local market and receive coloured threads from our partners at COATS, which they then set up on the wooden looms handcrafted by the villagers.
Depending on the desired pattern, the threads are then crossed horizontally and vertically by sliding a wooden shuttle (a stick from which a small spool of thread unwinds) from left to right. This is the principle of "warp and weft" weaving.
Meet our partner cooperatives
- White Thai minority
- 30 craftswomen
- Collaborating since 2016
- "Drawloom" weaving
- White Thai minority
- 8 craftswomen
- Collaborating since 2016
- "Drawloom" weaving
- White Thai minority
- 6 craftswomen
- Collaborating since 2019
- "Drawloom" weaving
A certified and audited assembly workshop
When it comes to assembling our shoes, we place our full trust in our partner workshop Dai Luc Dong Nai, which has supported us since 2018.
This win-win partnership is rich with history: that of two small entities full of ambition and strong in their CSR values, who decided to bet on each other to grow together and contribute, at their own scale, to the country's social, environmental and educational progress.
At the start of the adventure, the workshop had just opened its doors and was looking for a brand to begin exporting with. On our side, we weren't looking for a manufacturer but a collaborator to produce our small production quantities.
The strength of Dai Luc Dong Nai lies in the expertise of its teams. Every technician, designer, seamstress and member of the company has ten or even thirty years of experience in the footwear field. An incredible asset for a young brand like ours, which has learned an enormous amount at their side.
Social commitments
Beyond its exemplary professionalism, it was this supplier's commitment to ethics and the environment that sealed our partnership.
It felt essential to work with a workshop that could vouch for good working conditions, fair pay and worker safety.
In 2020, the factory was audited and certified by Bureau Veritas to confirm compliance with the social standards set by the ILO (International Labour Organisation).
Then, in 2022, the workshop was BSCI-certified (Business Social Compliance Initiative), an internationally recognised standard. This audit is carried out following the social and environmental code of conduct, which notably includes freedom of association, fair pay, decent working hours, as well as health and safety at work.
This long-standing partnership helps us go ever further in our commitments. More than a simple working relationship, it's a genuine bond of trust and transparency that has taken root.
Always one foot in Vietnam
We know our partners in Vietnam very well. From the very beginning, we've been in direct contact and deal with each of them without any intermediary, so we know exactly what their working conditions and methods are.
It's this perfect knowledge of our suppliers, with whom we are constantly in touch, that sets us apart from other brands and allows us total transparency and traceability of our products. A real guarantee of trust for us and our customers.
To ensure this constant presence in Vietnam, our team has been strengthened by a Vietnamese footwear engineer based in Dong Nai, not far from the assembly workshop. He is the go-to contact for our suppliers and spends time in the factory to make sure product development runs smoothly.
