Nigerian entrepreneur launches country's first innovative and social oriented footwear brand

Pic courtesy Babajide Ipaye

From the moment he spoke I was hooked. I could see he had so much passion for his business. His deep voice filled the room. I knew at that moment, I wanted to tell the story of Nigerian entrepreneur Babajide Ipaye; the man behind the first innovative and social oriented footwear brand in Nigeria. Here I was seated at an event meant for Nigerian professionals to connect and exchange entrepreneurial ideas with professionals living in the diaspora. A friend had invited me to the event organised by Think Africa during the festive season and I told myself, I'm not an entrepreneur but there are lots to be gained from other fields so just go and listen to other people talk. Although they started three hours late, I forgave them as soon as the event commenced. It was well worth my time. As I listened to Babajide speak about how he started the sneakers brand and how far they have come, I was proud.
At the age of 8, Babajide had started wearing his father's shoes. At a young age of 18 he realised he could not find his shoe size in the market. Babajide Ipaye is now the founder of Keexs, an up and coming social and innovative footwear company. Nigeria's current economic growth is prompting young creative entrepreneurs to seek alternative ways of creating employment for themselves. For entrepreneurs like Babajide, a better economy would mean ensuring the manufacturing industry in Nigeria thrives, giving opportunity to many Nigerians who are unemployed.
Over 20,000 U.S. dollars was raised through crowd funding in 2015 to establish the start-up company while he was studying shoe making in the Netherlands.
With its bold colours of red, green, black and white; and a Fela inspired design on one of the collections, the sneakers have become an instant eye-catcher for many. The company has a technical partnership in the Netherlands where the shoes are produced.
In eight months, they have been able to sell 1,500 pairs. Babajide is optimistic that with the right funding and support from Nigerians, the brand will grow to the point of manufacturing the sneakers locally. The sneakers are currently priced at 59 U.S. dollars(18,000 naira) and are being sold at some stores across Nigeria's Lagos. Babajide currently produces 1,000 pairs of sneakers on a quarterly basis. The young entrepreneur is looking to attract more investors to expand his business.
I sure learnt a lot of things that day.

Also, producing the story was a reminder that sometimes some stories are not just out there for one to see. We search tirelessly on social media for stories but some are hidden. 

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