FIVE AFRICAN SHOEWEAR BRANDS I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

Hello, and welcome once again to my blog.

This post is long overdue and I'm excited to share these shoe brands with you. This is a post I'm dedicating to 5 highly coveted African shoe designers. Some are relatively new on the scene, while others have been around for a while. They are all female, Black and African designers who may or may not reside in Africa, but their designs speak to our rich, vibrant African heritage and cultures.

ANDREA IYAMAH

She is a Nigerian fashion designer whose clothing pieces are high-end and sought after by influencers and stylish women worldwide. She is known for her clothes but people need to be made aware of her equally amazing accessory line comprising shoes, bags and jewellery.

Andrea Iyamah 

The Pre-fall Resort '23 releases featured mules, slides and sandals, but my eyes zeroed in on the Yuri heel in custard yellow and the Kéré slippers/slides in cocoa brown. The slides have a beaded string netting overlaying a warm chocolate brown leather covering reminiscent of the local musical instrument called Sékéré. 

I imagine as you walk, the beads jiggle and let out a little "chéke, chéke " sound to herald your coming. The heels of the Yuri shoes stand out with a wooden ball base in a brown hue like the colour of massive tree trunks found in typical African rainforests. Price point:$580

Andrea Iyamah

SHEKUDO

Akudo Iheakanwa is a Nigerian female creative director for the footwear and accessories brand, based in Lagos, Nigeria. This company employs the services of local artisans in the production of their design samples. They utilise a locally woven cotton fabric called 'asooke', from the Yoruba-speaking tribe of Western Nigeria.
This print fabric is primarily woven in long strips of width 4-5" and is sewn together to produce print materials of mixed or similar colours. It is a ceremonial clothing used for weddings, burials, coronations and festivals.

Shekudo

The Shekudo Ilamoye mules embody the full aso-oke textures, vibrant colours and beautiful fabrication. Now, I know that the Simone rope mules was inspired by ropes but they evoke for me the images of local "akpete" stools commonly found in many African village households. My grandfather used to rest his feet on them as he sat back in his recliner. The many sculptured wooden heels are the stand-out feature of this brand.

Shekudo

Shekudo has made it its mission to employ a mostly female (about 80%) workforce as a statement for women's empowerment. With growing demand, it now outsources some of its production to factories in Portugal whilst ensuring its materials are sourced across Africa with prototypes primarily done in Lagos.

Shekudo is stocked in Nordstrom, and ShopBop to name a few stores. 

Price point:$360

KAHMUNE

This list won't be complete without a shoe brand that catered to workwear. My predilection for pumps needs its own blogpost,  they are a staple in my wardrobe.

I was so ecstatic when I stumbled on Kahmune. Founded by Jamela Acheampong, a Ghanaian born in London, the shoes are made of the finest Nappa leather in Italy, have 2 layer memory foam inserts for comfort and cater to all skin shades, especially Black and African tones. The shades are named for different places on the continent and they provide leather swatches to customers so they can accurately match their skin colour before placing orders. Such a genius idea. Just by browsing their website, I think the shade Enugu will match my skin tone perfectly... the different pigments are so realistic. They look like cups of hot cocoa, soft caramel chocolate, coconut shell brown and mocha latte coffee. I mean, talk about the myriad hues and shades of our melanin-rich skin.

In my mind, Kahmune is to nude heels, what Fenty is to foundation and make-up for black girls.

Price point:$395

Kahmune

TITIADESA

This brand is nostalgic for me because the founder, Titi Adesanya, is also a pharmacist of Nigerian descent. She is an entrepreneur living in the UK. The luxury high-end brand produced in Italy is known for its stylish high-heeled sandals and mules. They are colourful, sexy and spicy for the elegant customer, like the creme de la creme of Lagos Island high society, and ladies who brunch in Ikoyi and shop in Lekki.

TitiAdesa received the FNAA Emerging Talent of the Year award in 2021 and is currently stocked in Harrods stores, in the UK. The Onigele rainbow-coloured mules are a fan favourite as seen on the beautiful American actress, Kerry Washington, however, I'm partial to the champagne-coloured variant, the "Onigele" glitter mules. I like the texture of the fabric, it reminds me of a type of 'aso-oke' woven from wild bush silkworms, intertwined with shiny yarn.

Price point:₤585

TitiAdesa

OMOL

This is the brand I'm most excited about. This pair made me gasp, in astonishment, wonder and delight (just so you know how I really felt) when I first saw it on an influencer's feet on Instagram. I immediately hit 'follow' on their page.

The 'Totem' sandals are in production as we speak, they're available in black, brown, fire-engine, tomato red and a blue-green print material and I WANT THEM all. The mask heel is the 'moment' and focal point of the high-heeled sandals. It is and has always been a symbol of Africa. Hats off to the designer for creating such a work of art. You have to see it to appreciate it.

The shoes are made of sheep leather and manufactured in Portugal. Nathalie Chebou Moth is Camerounian and founder of Omol, a clothing and accessories brand since 2018, the totem sandals are a labour of love supported by a crowd-funded campaign.

Price point: 385€

Omol

There you have it, my top 5 African shoe designers and brands I am wishing Santa gifts me for Christmas. Included are sketches I made of the shoes. Head on over to their websites and support these black-owned, women-owned designers today.

Thank you and Nago.👠

Disclaimer; This is not in any way a sponsored post.