Like fashion, the footwear industry on the African continent is well, has already bloomed, and has even outlived a century. More than anything, it has witnessed several creatives across different generations who continuously nurtured their craft, surrounding several existing trends and even future ones, passing this craftsmanship to the next. The new generation of footwear brands and designers is making great strides with their innovative approaches.
They are experimenting with materials, textures, and shapes to meet market needs. In addition, they are incorporating their cultural backgrounds and exploring a variety of cultures, including stories and myths, when creating these new footwear designs. To understand their practices and explore the footwear scene in the continent, here are brands from different regions of the continent pushing the footwear industry a step forward.
There is something very appealing about Kiing Daviid’s design— the exquisiteness, the approach to details, and perhaps the experiments with textural designs. Founded by King David Enyinnaya in 2013, the brand tries to create footwear that is unlikely to be found in the market— and they have championed it well, reshaping what African designs are and offering possible potentials that lure international audiences into the market. King David’s designs are very artsy, featuring fine illustrations of indescribable patterns, usually in wavy lines, and come in various colors; having artists like Ayra Sta.