For Olamide Olatomiwa Olajide, the founder of Shoeniverse Leathers, the path to creating a luxury Nigerian leather brand was paved with personal transformation. Her journey began not in a design studio, but in a profound shift in how she viewed the skilled work of her blue-collar father.
From Personal Shame to a Mission of Dignity
Olajide openly shares that she once struggled with feelings of shame surrounding her father's profession. However, this perspective underwent a radical change. She came to a powerful conviction: craftsmanship is dignity, and skilled labour deserves pride, respect, and global recognition. This belief became the foundation of Shoeniverse Leathers, her venture dedicated to producing high-quality, comfortable, handcrafted men's shoes and leather accessories that can stand tall on the international stage.
"My dad is a blue-collar worker, and for a long time I struggled with shame around that," Olajide revealed. "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 Brand with Purpose and Precision
Shoeniverse Leathers focuses on meticulous craftsmanship across several categories, including corporate, casual, bridal, and custom footwear. The brand also creates leather belts, wallets, and other accessories, offering bespoke services for specific customer needs. Olajide attributes the brand's differentiation to its obsessive attention to detail, its storytelling essence, and a premium customer experience.
"Every pair is crafted with a purpose, not in mass," she explained. "We focus on quality, a premium and story-driven brand identity, personal service, and consistency in delivery and trust."
Her entrepreneurial start was humble, marked by a severe lack of resources. Between 2022 and 2023, she navigated a period of intense instability, relying on resilience, mentorship, and hands-on learning. She launched the business with just N30,000, which was initially used to pay for her own shoemaking training. Adopting a pre-order model, she reinvested all profits to grow the venture step by step.
"What began as survival slowly became structure," Olajide stated. Today, that structure has yielded impressive results. Shoeniverse Leathers is now a nationally recognised brand with an annual turnover reaching approximately ₦12 million.
National Accolades and a Vision for Change
The brand's excellence has not gone unnoticed. Olajide's achievements are a testament to her dedication:
- Winner of the ₦5 million Development Bank of Nigeria Grant.
- Named a Top 10 winner of the Access Bank Womenpreneur Grant from over 5,000 applicants.
- Completed a Mini IFC-Certified MBA.
- Placed Top 3 in the Leather Category at the 2025 National MSME Awards held at Aso Rock.
Like many founders, she faced challenges like funding constraints and emotional pressure. She overcame these through grant applications, continuous learning, strong customer relationships, and personal discipline. "Every challenge forced me to grow as both a founder and a person," she said, viewing setbacks as feedback, not failure.
Looking ahead, Olajide's vision extends beyond profit. She aims to reshape how Nigerians perceive skilled labour. "My dream is to see a Nigeria where blue-collar work is appreciated just like white-collar work," she declared. Her plans include establishing a training academy for young shoemakers, setting up a flagship showroom, expanding into international markets, and scaling the leather accessories line.
The brand is already diversifying into luxury leather purses and corporate gift sets. A key social initiative is the Shoeniverse Shoe-a-Child Initiative, which provides free school sandals to children in underprivileged areas.
Through Shoeniverse Leathers, Olajide is determined to dismantle long-held myths about success. "We are proving that skilled hands build powerful futures. Our local does not mean inferior," she affirmed.
Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is grounded in her experience: "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."
