Olamide Olajide: The Founder Who Believes Every Handcrafted Shoe Tells a Story
For Olamide Olatomiwa Olajide, the journey into shoemaking did not begin in a factory or fashion school but in a deeply personal reckoning with questions of identity, dignity, and skilled labour.
Raised as the daughter of a blue-collar worker, Olajide said she spent years struggling with shame around her father's profession. Over time, however, that discomfort evolved into conviction: craftsmanship is dignity, and skilled work deserves pride, respect, and global recognition.
Source: Instagram
That conviction was the bedrock upon which Shoeniverse Leathers was formed-a luxury Nigerian leather brand she founded to produce quality, comfortable, handcrafted men's shoes and leather accessories that can compete on a global stage.
Olajide said:
"My dad is a blue-collar worker, and for a long time I struggled with shame around that. Over time, I realised craftsmanship is dignity. Shoemaking became my way of restoring pride to skilled work while creating something beautiful and globally competitive."
Building a high-end leather brand.
Shoeniverse Leathers creates handmade men's shoes in the corporate, casual, bridal, and custom categories. The brand also manufactures leather belts, wallets, and accessories and offers bespoke services to cater to customer needs for specific styles and occasions.
Olajide says it is in the attention to detail, storytelling, and customer experience that differentiates the brand.
Source: Facebook
She said:
"Every pair is crafted with a purpose, not in mass. We focus on quality, a premium and story-driven brand identity, personal service, and consistency in delivery and trust."
From survival to structure
Olajide's entrepreneurship had started without any capital structure at all, no factory, and no safety net. Between 2022 and 2023, she passed through what she described as severe instability, harnessed through resilience, mentorship, and hands-on learning.
She revealed that she started Shoeniverse Leathers with N30,000 (money that was first used to pay for shoemaking training), after which she adopted a pre-order model and reinvested the profits to build the business gradually.
According to Olajide:
"What began as survival slowly became structure.
Today, Shoeniverse Leathers is a nationally recognised brand and has seen the highest annual turnover of about ₦12 million, miles from its very early days.
Milestones and national recognition
Since its launch, Shoeniverse Leathers has recorded notable achievements: Olajide emerged winner of the ₦5 million Development Bank of Nigeria Grant and was named a Top 10 winner of the Access Bank Womenpreneur Grant from over 5,000 applicants.
She has also done a Mini IFC-Certified MBA and came Top 3 in the Leather Category during the 2025 National MSME Awards held at Aso Rock, the Presidential Villa.
Like many entrepreneurs, Olajide said her biggest challenges included funding constraints, business structuring, and emotional pressure.
She said that she surmounted these challenges through grant opportunities, the quest for further learning, very strong customers relations, personal discipline.
She said.
"Every challenge forced me to grow as both a founder and a person. Setbacks, she added, are viewed as feedback, not failure.
"I reflect, adjust my strategy, and move forward. Faith, structure, and consistency help me stay connected. If you want to keep your sanity as a business owner in this country, you better have an altar of prayer."
Source: Getty Images
Scaling impact and changing perceptions
Going forward, Olajide’s vision reaches beyond building a profitable brand. She wants to help reshape how Nigerians perceive skilled labour.
She said:
"My dream is to see a Nigeria where blue-collar work is appreciated just like white-collar work. Be it as it may, as long as people don't see value in handwork, they can never see the value in whatever product that handwork brings about."
In her plans, she intends to establish a proper training mechanism to equip the young shoemakers, set up a fully functional flagship showroom, expand into international markets, and scale the leather accessories line of Shoeniverse.
The brand is also diversifying into luxury leather purses, corporate gift sets, and export-ready product collections, while setting up systems for bulk orders for schools, weddings, and corporate organisations.
One of the most socially driven initiatives is the Shoeniverse Shoe-a-Child Initiative, hinged on providing free school sandals to children in underprivileged areas.
Through Shoeniverse Leathers, Olajide hopes to break some of these years-long perceptions about skilled work in Nigeria, offering jobs, see young people through, and break myths that success lies in white-collar jobs.
Her words
“We are proving that skilled hands build powerful futures. Our local does not mean inferior."
A word of advice to budding entrepreneurs
She reflected on her journey and urged aspiring entrepreneurs to start where they are and remain patient with their growth.
She said:
“Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Learn relentlessly, apply for opportunities, build structure early, and don’t despise small beginnings. Most importantly, be patient with your own growth.”
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