Media Personality Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi announced today via Instagram that she’s launching her very own shoe line called Gbemisoke.
While we’re still celebrating this developement, we love fact that Nigerian celerities are beginning to diversify. Gbemi is joining the list of Nigerian celebrities who has been in the fashion business – from AD by Agbani Darego to St Genevieve by Genevieve Nnaji. She is launching a fashion line that is entirely different from others – a shoe line that will compete with foreign brands.
She explained elaborately her motivational force behind the new line:
Hands up if you were ever taken to Balogun market or any other market as a child to find new school shoes or “Christmas shoes” . My mom would hold my hand tight and we would go from stall to stall looking for nice shoes.
I did not like the process at all. The market was rowdy , noisy and the shoe seller would always push my feet into the shiny ,patent (and almost always tight) shoes and say “it’s your size ! Fine girl , Fine shoe!”
Meanwhile my poor toes would be crying I also had lovely aunties who lived abroad and they would send me beautiful shoes BUT they never fit! I guess they just never asked what my shoe size was , they would buy the shoes thinking I would “grow into them” not knowing that my feet were “already grown” LOL
When I turned 12, I refused to go shopping with mom for clothes or shoes. I went with friends or my young Aunt Lola. Clothes shopping were a breeze but shoe shopping in Lagos was very annoying and disappointing. There were lots of pretty shoes but they never had my size or they would have a size smaller.
The shoes they had in my size were usually ugly and looked like canoes When I travelled to the U.S for school, one of the things I was extra excited about was going to the mall!
I would spend hours at the mall looking for the perfect shoes.
As usual , finding clothes were easy but shoes were still tough to find.
Many times I would end up buying shoes that were a size smaller all because I liked them and they didn’t have my size . I would stuff my feet in the shoes and endure pain. At least the shoes were pretty When I did find shoes in my size , I would buy them in every color I could find! The hassle of finding cute shoes when you wear a U.S11 in shoes !
It was much easier in the summer because I could buy smaller sizes and get away with them because they were open toe styles or sling backs . The winter months were not funny When I moved back to Nigeria, I faced the shoe issue again. I would go to boutiques and see shoes that were easily $30 in the U.S (N4,000-N4,500 due to the dollar rate at that time) being sold here in Lagos for N20,000!!
Now that Media Personality Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi is designing a shoe for you, how much would you pay for it?
Photo: Instagram/Gbemioo
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