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Tag: footwear

  • 22-yr-old footwear maker unveils book

    22-yr-old footwear maker unveils book

    Multiple awards-winning 22-year- old footwear maker Omirin Aderinsola has added another feather to her young cap. In addition to her achievement in business, Aderinsola has ventured into the realm of writing. She recently joined the league of motivational writers with her new book, The Radiant Path.

    She is the CEO of Solasoles, a unique Nigerian handmade footwear brand. Aderinsola has redefined the industry by crafting exceptional casual shoes for women and children and orthopaedic shoes for those with special needs. She made her first million at 18; and has been celebrated and recognised at the SME 100 Africa 25under25 Awards for her exceptional contributions to manufacturing and logistics in Nigeria.

    Through her entrepreneurial ventures, mentorship, and authorship, Aderinsola is determined to keep empowering individuals to tap into their limitless potential and create their own radiant paths with her publication.

    The 105-page book was launched amid pomp and ceremony at The Civic Centre in Lagos. The event drew bigwigs from diverse sectors, led by former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Ogomudia. The author took guests into a journey of self-discovery, while inviting all to awaken the dormant potential within.

    While praising the efforts of the author, who has become a force to be reckoned with in the realm of business and entrepreneurship, Ogomudia, the event’s chief launcher, urged the young ones to borrow a leaf from her example. She started making shoes while in school, she had a number of challenges but overcame them because of the kind of teachings she received in school.

    He observed that Nigeria holds great promise for youths, who are creative and patient enough to harness opportunities around them.

    He said: “This young lady is someone I’m very proud of. We have similar stories of breaking through unfamiliar grounds and I recommend this book to all.” 

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    For the Chief Executive Officer, Pocket by PiggyVest, Ayo Akinola, the book is a unique guide to unleash your potential. “I am so proud of you and how far you have come. Let’s all support her and make this great dream a reality,” Akinola said. 

    To Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives Bisola Kaoli Olusanya, Aderinsola’s book “is a powerful guide for individuals seeking self-discovery.

    “I was paying attention to every detail since you started and it is so beautiful to see, well done Derin,” she said.

    Also in attendance were Commissioner for Legislative and Civic Engagement, Dr. Folabi Abiodun; and former Deputy Inspector-General of Police (retd), Hakeem Odumosu, among others.

    For the author, the book reveals the untapped potential within. In the book, Aderinsola empowers readers to embrace their unique paths, overcome obstacles, and cultivate the resilience needed to thrive in today’s ever-changing world. It is an offshoot of her ‘The Radiant Tribe’, which she founded while recognising the importance of a supportive community in a journey of self-discovery.

    In her view, while The Radiant Tribe serves as a platform that connects like-minded individuals, offering a safe and nurturing space where members can share experiences, exchange ideas, and support each other, the book takes it further, helping individuals to tap into their true potential as a more personal development guide.

    “It’s exploration of personal transformation, this book encourages readers to shed the shackles of self-doubt, embrace their true potential, and forge a path of virtuous living. The pages of this book hold the keys to unlocking greatness, empowering you to redefine what it truly means to live an extraordinary life. It is time to awaken your potential, embrace virtuous mastery, and graciously redefines the norm with ‘the radiant path’: your guide to a life of extraordinary significance.

    “This inspiring book helps people discover the key to growth and wisdom in the face of trial and mistakes. It expertly guides them to shift your focus from insecurities and setbacks, empowering readers to break through to a compelling future,” Aderinsola said.

  • Codeine: Blanket ban can cause loss of 23,000 jobs – union

    Workers in the chemical and non-metallic sector on Thursday appealed to the Federal Government against blanket ban of codeine to save the nation about 23,000 jobs.

    Mr Babatunde Olatunji, the President of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLAMPE) made the plea while answering questions from journalists in Lagos.

    Olatunji decried the impact the ban would have on job creation and urged the Federal Government to find a way of controlling the use of codeine rather than an outright ban.

    The nation reports that Federal Government had in May directed the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to stop further issuance of permits for the importation of codeine.

    The Federal Government said that NAFDAC should stop it as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations with immediate effect in response to the gross abuse of codeine usage in the country.

    Olatunji said that the ban on codeine could lead to about 23,000 workers losing their jobs in the industry as many companies manufacturing cough and pain relief drugs could be forced to close down.

    He said that instead of the blanket ban, government should adopt a system in which prescription of the drug would be strictly adhered to.

    According to him, this will prevent closure of many pharmaceutical companies in the country and the attendant job losses.

    “Codeine is an analgesic which is similar to those of morphine but it is much less potent as an analgesic and has only mild sedative effects.

    “It is also used in the treatment of cough, diarrhea as well as other chronic conditions such as arthritis and migraine,’’ he said.

    The labour leader said it was unfortunate that some criminally minded people were using the product as addictive substance.

    “This can lead to downsizing and many of the workers will be thrown into the labour market.

    “This defeats one of the cardinal policies of job creation and job security by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration,’’ he said.

    Olatunji urged government to strengthen health agencies such as NAFDAC, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and Pharmacists Council of Nigeria to ensure strict adherence to prescription of drugs before being sold or administer to any person.

  • Cherry Little sole unveils kids’ footwear

    Cherry Little sole unveils kids’ footwear

    The CEO of Cherry Little Sole, Onosen Ekelemu, has  unveiled  a new collection of foot wears for kids.

    Speaking at the ceremony at Breadfruit House,Lagos Island,Ekelemu said that the idea was borne out of  passion for fashion and love for kids.

    “I love fashion, including shoes, clothes, and accessories. But this is just the first aspect that I am starting. Very soon, I will include children’s bags. Before I started this, whenever I travelled, I usually came home with extra luggage for my kids. I dressed my kids to an extent  that people looked at them twice and gave a good comment. This really inspired me to produce my own wear which will be for kids”

    Cherry Little Sole, she said, has been in existence for over a year but it recently decided to start making its own products.

    “We are a store that deals with kids’ shoes and bags. Initially, we started with brands like Adidas, Nike, Gucci and others,” she stated.

    According to her, the prices of the wears come in different ranges depending on the quality. She explained that the shoes come in different ranges with different prices.

    “A bag goes for as low as N3,500 to as high as N12,000, if not more because we are bringing in more items. As for shoes, you can also get them from N4,000 upwards. And of course you know this price may not necessarily be for the price for the wholesalers. It depends on the kind of shoes that we are talking about,” she emphasised.

    She added that although the outfit is quartered in Lagos, it also has wholesale points in major cities like Port Harcourt, Benin, Maduguri, Cotonu and other parts of Africa.

    The plan of Cherry is to move this to all the states in the country and from there to all African countries. I draw the design and style, how I want it to look. That’s what I spend my nights doing. I bring it out and I send pictures. Now we are considering the cost of shipping, as well as custom clearance; it is cheaper for me than producing here in Nigeria. But like I said, we are trying to put these strategies in place to see how we can produce here,” she told The Nation Shopping.

    Explaining how the shoes are made, she said that she sends the designs to the producers for mass production after which they are shipped back to Nigeria.

    ‘’But by mid next year, we are going to have this in Nigeria. We are already looking for a place where we are going to set up a factory and what I want to do is to get these expatriates into the country and of course, it’s going to help us to increase our technical knowhow in the country. This is because I’m not going to employ hundreds of expatriates. Maybe I’ll get two or three but I’ll get Nigerians here to work in the factory. And over time, they will learn it and then very soon, you will see that I can now comfortably tell you that I am producing this in Nigeria,” she reiterated.

    The CEO also announced that the store has beautiful goodies and price slash for her customers ahead of the yuletide.

    She spoke further:’’Apart from that, I have bags. We are doing a lot of red colours because that’s Christmas colour and that’s what everybody wants. We have already discounted a lot of prices.”

    She further pleaded with the government to look into the power sector because adequate power supply will ensure that the cost of production would come down.

    “Now even after considering the cost of shipping, custom clearance and all that, it is still cheaper to import than me having to produce here,” she said.

    The launch of the new product was an opportunity for the CEO to  also speak on multiple-taxation and how government can help entrepreneurs.

    “We have different kinds of taxes; we have import duty tax, duty LS, by the time you sum everything together, you are looking at 35 to 40% of the cost of the goods. When you are done with that, you look at the rental value of the shop, and how do you want to put in your own profit? And we also have customers like you   buying  the product  complaining about the challenges in the economy, the government has to look into that,” she lamented.

  • ‘Ban footwear import’

    They said they will produce more shoes, sandals, bags and other leather-based items, but they also have one special plea: ban all footwear imports.

    At Ariaria International Market, Aba, Abia State, nothing will please the craftsmen more than freezing out all footwear imports. The move will boost their business, no doubt, but it will also help government realise its plan to shore up the parlous economy by patronising locally-made goods.

    The leather workers under their umbrella organisation, Abia State Leather and Allied, Shoe Manufacturers Import and Export Union, made this position known at a town hall meeting in the commercial city with a member of the House of Representatives Ossy Prestige.

    The group, while calling for financial assistance from the federal government, also appealed to the World Bank to assist their members with funds.

    The shoe manufacturers stated that if the necessary funds were made available to them, they will improve on their product quality and volume, provide job for over 60,000 unemployed youths and generate more money for the state and the country.

    Various speakers at the event including the president of the association, Mr. Chinedu Amaonyeanaeze Maurice Dike lamented the inability of members of the union to have access to funds or loan on low interest rate and stringent conditions by most of the financial institutions in Aba and other parts of the state.

    According to Dike, leather clusters in Ariaria International market remain the fulcrum of income generation to the state and have done a lot in providing jobs for unemployed, but skilled youths who could have taken to crime and become societal nuisance.

    In his speech, Ambassador Darlington Onuoha, a consultant to the union regretted the continued increase patronage of foreign wears by some residents of the state and the country at large which he said was not in the best interest of the state and Nigerian economy.

    Onuoha who lauded efforts of the Aba shoe manufacturers in producing quality shoes he said would stand the taste of time and expressed his belief that with the right machine and training, the shoe manufacturers can compete favourably and even outshine their counterparts at the world level.

    In his response, Prestige who represents Aba North and South Federal Constituency, urged them to be proud of their products by labeling them ‘made-in-Aba’.

    Prestige assured the shoemakers of his commitment towards ensuring that he draw the attention of the federal government and his colleagues to invest and promote Made-in-Aba wears.

    He expressed hope that the gains of patronising and promoting locally made goods especially as the country battles recession could be one of the ways to boost the economy and also help the traders make money from their sweats.

    He promised to bring in investors that would help to invest in goods made-in-Aba and help the traders get the international connections which will help them exchange business ideas and form alliances which would help them in their businesses.

    The Aba North and South lawmaker also promised to use his position as the representative of the two core local governments that generate the highest revenue for Abia State in the House of Representatives to promote the cause of the people in getting financial assistance and the help them to draw the attention of the federal government to their plight even as he surged them to support the efforts of the federal government to promote locally manufactured goods and services.

     

  • Italy Footwear Design institute graduates five

    Fifteen students sponsored by the Delta State Government for a two-week training on Footwear Design and Technology have graduated from the prestigious Moda Pelle Academy, Milano, Italy.

    The state also has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) for the building and equipping of a leatherworks factory in Delta State.

    Under the agreement, UNIDO will, apart from part funding the factory, also help the state develop skills in shoe design to a level that will enable them compete with the best in the world.

    The training and setting up of a leather works factory is part of Project Cooperation Agreements between the Delta State Government and UNIDO under which agro processing capacities will be developed in the state.

    The project aims at improving the quality of life of rural population of Delta State by setting up efficient farmer-owned small scale agro processing units for palm oil milling and fish drying linking them effectively with primary producers and domestic buyers.

    The agreement also seeks to build creative industries for women in rural Delta, especially the traditional Akwaocha fabric to provide technical support for the development of the local fabric.

    Ogeah said it is the next level in the consolidation of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan’s action plan of building enduring institutional frameworks for the development of requisite skills to boost human capacity, create jobs and boost production and export of quality non-oil products.

    At the graduation were the Delta State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Charles Ajuyah (SAN); Chike C. Ogeah, Commissioner for Information and Dr. Antonia Ashiedu, Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation.

  • Great choice in casual footwear: Men’s sandals

    Great choice in casual footwear: Men’s sandals

    MEN don’t always want to dress in a corporate way at all times. You can still look good wearing slippers or sandals for casual outing, and they will look beautiful and lovely on your feet. Slippers or sandals are of ultimate convenience, comfort and offer a great casual look.

    Men’s sandals can be worn for indoor or outdoor purposes. They work great with native wear and jeans, so you may find it helpful to let the style of your shirt guide you. Polo shirt might work.

    It makes you feel free and look younger than your age. It also has a sexy feel.

    •Try to pick a pair of sandals that contrasts, or that is darker than your pants.

    •If you wear a belt, try to pick the shoes that match it, unless, of course, your belt is multi-coloured.

    •Try to put on casual clothes as much as possible when putting on your sandals.