Why Isaac Prempeh Started Afropop Socks — The Full Story

Every brand has a founding story. Here is the full story of why Isaac Prempeh started Afropop Socks — and what drives the brand today.

The Problem Isaac Saw

Isaac Prempeh grew up as a British-Ghanaian in London. He was always aware of the richness of Ghanaian culture — the fabrics, the patterns, the symbols. But he noticed something frustrating: African cultural heritage was either invisible in mainstream fashion, or reduced to generic "African-inspired" patterns that had no real cultural grounding.

Walk into any high street store and you would find "African print" dresses, "tribal" jewellery, and "ethnic" accessories — but none of them came with any explanation of the specific cultural tradition they were drawing from. The culture was being used, but not celebrated.

The Idea

Isaac wanted to create a product that did two things simultaneously: celebrate authentic African cultural heritage, and educate people about that heritage. The cultural story card was the key innovation — a card included with every pair of socks that explains the specific heritage behind the design.

Why socks? Because socks are accessible, universal, and visible. Everyone wears socks. They are affordable enough to be a gift, visible enough to start conversations, and personal enough to carry meaning.

The First Pairs

Isaac founded Afropop Socks in London in 2019. The first designs were Kente cloth and Adinkra symbols — the most recognisable symbols of Ghanaian cultural heritage. Each pair came with a cultural story card explaining the heritage behind the design.

The Museum Strategy

Early on, Isaac made a strategic decision: target museum gift shops. Museums are the world's most trusted cultural institutions. If a museum stocks a product, it has been assessed for cultural authenticity, educational value, and artistic quality.

Getting into the Tate Modern gift shop was the first major milestone. Then the V&A. Then the Natural History Museum. Then the Smithsonian NMAAHC in Washington DC. Then MoMA in New York. Each museum stockist added credibility that made the next one easier to achieve.

What Drives the Brand Today

Five years after founding, Afropop Socks is stocked at eight of the world's most prestigious cultural institutions. The brand has served over 7,000 customers globally and achieved a 4.8/5 rating on Trustpilot from 508 reviews.

But the mission has not changed: celebrate authentic African cultural heritage, educate people about that heritage, and make it accessible to everyone — one pair of socks at a time.

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