Made in Nigeria footwear can be best in the world — Azeh, CEO, Mona Matthews Shoes

By Morenike Taire, Woman Editor

Recently, Nigeria’s first lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu commissioned the industrial leather hub as a leverage to position Lagos as a global leader in leather production and innovation. 

Located in the boisterous Matori, Mushin area of the State, the hub, now known as the Oluremi Tinubu Industrial Leather Hub, is designed to generate more than $250m annually in export turnover when fully operational. 

Against this backdrop, Vanguard encountered Abimbola Azeh, a leather goods manufacturer with more than two decades of experience who took us through her journey from law to footwear design. It is a tale of passion, necessity, and innovation. 

Her venture, Mona Matthews, was born out of a personal quest for stylish yet comfortable shoes; a quest that ultimately reshaped her career and the Nigerian footwear industry.  In this piece, she speaks on the footwear industry and why locally made products in Nigeria have better quality than some of the imported ones.

Speaking on the journey, Abimbola revealed that a series of events led to the founding of the business. “From a personal perspective, I have very wide feet and that year, early 2000 when I started, the shoes were coming in from Dubai, China, Korea and they were not real leather. 

“When I was younger, we used to buy real leather shoes from Italy, Spain, Brazil, so even for people that have wide feet, you would be able to wear them and maybe they would expand since they were real leather. 

“It is different when you are buying shoes from Dubai and those places. When you are buying shoes that are not real leather, they do not expand. It is either the shoe will spoil your feet or your feet will spoil the shoes. So I was finding it difficult to get good shoes in my size.I started looking around, talking to people, and I saw that people were wearing leather shoes. Drivers, messengers, younger men were wearing leather shoes, so I started investigating. Then I found one shoemaker, he made a shoe for me and I started from that perspective. I was trying to meet my own needs. At first, I was not thinking of translating it to business. 

A graduate of law, Abimbola was at crossroads as to what she wanted to continue doing at that point, so after some introspection and prayers, she came up with the idea of making shoes, starting a footwear company. 

“I had also discovered that most of the materials we were using in Nigeria were imported. Imagine importing everything including toothpick, toothbrush, all the clothes, even food. The question on my mind was, are we going to continue to import as a nation? So, when I started my footwear business, one of the reasons I put Lagos on my products was because I wanted to show the world that good things could come out of this country and I am proud of it.  

She started by making the shoes for herself, designing and outsourcing production. “People liked the shoes. In the process, I discovered that I was not the only one with big feet, nor the only one who had issues getting nice shoes in my size but wanted to wear real leather shoes. I found out that there was a market in the Mushin area of Lagos where they were selling real leather. In fact, there was a pair of slippers I had bought by myself on the high street in England, and I saw the exact same leather in Mushin. 

“Then, I knew that there is something peculiar in this country but the challenge was getting shoemakers who could do what I wanted and translate my designs and ideas into reality. 

“The business idea was conceived when I spoke to a friend who suggested that I go to a business school. I applied for the business school and started the business alongside schooling. After 23 years, this is where we are. 

Despite the depreciation of the naira, Abimbola believes that the high quality of made in Nigeria products, especially footwear, cannot be compared to imported ones. “The value of naira affects the cost of production. Although we are making shoes in Nigeria, almost everything used for making the shoes is imported. Some of the leathers come from Nigeria, while other materials are imported.

“Presently, the inflation rate has risen and this has affected the cost of production. As a result of naira depreciation, we are now paying higher than expected in terms of remuneration. 

“The good side is that when people compare our work to imported shoes, vis-a-vis the amount of money that they are buying our products, they still have the better option. It is not just my brand alone but about shoes made in Nigeria. 

To those reading this article, Azeh recommends finding an expert in making good shoes in Nigeria..

 ”You will find out that our shoes last longer than imported shoes. They may be expensive to buy because they are handmade, but the final result is worth it.

I made shoes for a couple in Lagos 20 years ago. I met them at the Lagos Leather Fair and I was told that the shoes that I made for the wife’s wedding, the traditional wedding shoe and bag, are still with them till date and I have met more people that I have made shoes for even 15 years after. 

“These shoes are more durable because they are handmade, the leather is genuine, the workmanship is outstanding, and the adhesive that we use is top-notch. So, you will find people getting better value for their money, when they buy made in Nigeria shoes, bags and leather.

Speaking on the shoes made in Nigeria, economic realities and leather production in Nigeria, she challenged, “Let me ask you a question, if you have a party today, are you likely to wear something that is imported or made in Nigeria? You are going to be wearing something made in Nigeria, are you not? The truth is that we need to have a positive mindset because things are difficult for many people. The country is on a curve, we are going somewhere and when you are making that bend, it brings some kind of strain.

“The world has come to a place where they really appreciate made in Nigeria things. Nigerians who have gone abroad are coming back to buy our clothes, they are coming back to buy our food, they are coming back to order things for their hair, they are ordering different made in Nigeria products, people are buying, shipping things abroad in containers now, all kinds of things that are made in Nigeria. So, the economy is experiencing some kind of change but if we allow our minds to open up, we realise that the world is very receptive to made in Nigeria products right now, there is a fashion show that just happened on London, Oxford Street. People were really amazed at the kind of quality that came out from Nigeria.  This is the best time for made in Nigeria products. I travelled abroad two years ago and I hardly bought anything for myself, because when I picked up a garment and I translated the value into naira, I knew that if I come back to Nigeria, I could get the same material and high quality for a lesser price.

 For Nigerians that are doing ready-to-wear, the quality of what they produce is much higher than the so-called ready-to-wear they are selling to us brought from abroad, according to Azeh. Urging Nigerians to sit down and think, she stated,

 ”There are people in the market who are buying fabric and making clothes sharp, sharp here in Nigeria and the quality is higher. Those fabrics that the designers have as excess fabrics after production are the ones the businessmen go to abroad, pick up the excess fabrics, select the best and bring back to Nigeria. And because they are coming in as waste, they are very cheap. So, a Nigerian designer that knows what she is doing, enters that market and picks the best”, she said. 

“She can pick a fabric that if it is displayed in the showroom shop in London, it will be sold for 300 to 400 pounds. Yet, the same fabric can be sold for less than a N1000 in Nigeria..She sits down, hand cut and makes it. So, we are at the receiving end of good quality, but we are not appreciative because we do not really have much of a basis for comparison, we think that out there is better.

 “Nigeria is a growing nation and people should know that the country is blessed. What you are paying for as rent here in Nigeria in a year is what people abroad pay in a month. The food you are complaining about in Nigeria for an average family of four or five, in a month is what people eat within a week abroad. In Nigeria, great things are happening for good, depending on the mindset that you have.

 Looking at the statistics, Azeh said the majority of the people in the leather industry were men when she started but, 23 years after, there is a shift, with more women in the industry now.

“From the designing points to the selling points, there are also men in the industry.

Before, if you mention a peach shoe, the man would be looking at me because they do not know more than black, brown and orange but a woman understands that there is a colour called peach, tan, or aquamarine. A lot of designers are also women, they are making shoes and bags by themselves or running design houses where they design, produce and then retail. Statistically, an average woman has 40 pairs of shoes, if she can afford it. This is global statistics. So, if women wear more shoes, it just makes sense that women need to be in the business. I understand why a woman wants four-inch heels, I also understand why she wants flat shoes and anything in between, I know the difference between platform and a wedge sole. These are intricacies of the business that men may not fully grasp”.

An arrowhead of collaboration within the industry, Azeh is part of different pockets of organizations including the Lagos Leather Fair collective where practitioners help one another.

 ”One tree cannot make a forest, you may need me today, and tomorrow I may need you. The main umbrella that brings us together is the Lagos Leather Fair, it is an annual event and when you go, there are no way you will not form relationships with other people and there are more women, especially the retailers. Even the designing aspect, most people making handbags are women, on the shoe side, there are more men. I have mentored, coached a few”.

Her main source of inspiration is her customers, Azeh reveals. “I tell people you can design in a vacuum. As a designer, you can think something in your head and bring it out, but it does not mean you can sell it, because people may not need it, people may not like it, and people may not want it. So initially, I think most designers start from that idealistic aspect. I am a designer but you need to know what your customer needs. We have customers both in Nigeria and abroad. Over 60 percent of our sales come from abroad. It is a matter of the value placed on the products. We have customers in Australia, anywhere there is a Nigerian..

In Azeh’s opinion, Artificial Intelligence in the shoe industry has a long way to go, saying it can only be integrated into design and some parts of production, just to speed up production.

“In terms of the actual making of the shoes, if you are using AI that means you are doing mass production.

“They are already using AI in China, that is why you are getting all those mass-produced shoes, and for it to make sense; the materials are cheaper, so the shoes will not last long. Also, in Nigeria we have a lot of people with very wide feet, or very narrow feet, so it is not everybody that can walk into a shop and buy a pair of shoes, like me. I cannot. One of my feet is even bigger than the other.

No matter how many readymade clothes there are, when you are getting married, you want your dress to be made for you, when you are celebrating a landmark event or birthday, you want your dress to stand out in the crowd. AI cannot take over the industry”, she said.

The post Made in Nigeria footwear can be best in the world — Azeh, CEO, Mona Matthews Shoes appeared first on Vanguard News.