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Chifulemba Annie

Self Employed

Joan Investments

I am Annie Chifulemba, a Malawian woman leather designer building dignity from the ground up, who creates as the -Timba bird lives. My project, “Timba Steps”, is an elegant ascent and evolution of purpose — tracing a boy’s journey from Chirengedwe School Shoes into the modern world, now walking in decent, stylish leather. I design as the -Timba bird- of Malawi lives: resilient in harsh conditions and never grounded by circumstance, resourceful in building from what others discard, adaptable from village to city, and always rising with intent, with those same characters. Chirengedwe was my nest of possibility: dignified school shoes that gave children their first step. Timba Steps is the deliberate flight that follows. At the foundation of every pair is dignity in rubber soles, hand-carved vulcanized soles from reclaimed rubber, engineered not just for durability, but for pride. They refuse to wear down, carrying the wearer from dusty classrooms to city pavements — from survival to aspiration. My uppers embody resourcefulness: re-skived real leather from old jackets, real leather offcuts, now cut and finished with modern elegance. Bamboo shanks and recycled-beer filter insoles remain hidden within, because true elevation honors its roots. Areas of Specialism: Narrative leather design inspired by nature, upcycled luxury finishing, sustainable footwear engineering with rubber soles, circular craft systems. For the Africa Real Leather Design Showcase 2026, *Timba Steps* proves African real leather design is not just sustainable. It is transformational. I transform the discarded into the distinguished, giving the child from Chirengedwe shoes worthy of the man he becomes.

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Timba Steps From Classroom to Boardroom

Category: Footwear

Competitions: Africa

Project Title: Timba Steps – “Chaka”* From Classroom to Boardroom* Timba Steps is a real solution for Africa’s 70 million graduates entering a world that demands both heritage and excellence. “Chaka,” meaning to dig deep in Chichewa, is a shoe engineered for the journey from campus to executive meetings. Real leaders are built over time. This shoe is too. *Carved for Malawi, Crafted for the World* — it starts with local truth and ends with global standards. Inspired by the Southern Ground Hornbill, Malawi’s patient, grounded, and resolute bird that walks long distances before it flies, Chaka embodies endurance. The silhouette merges formal Oxford structure with the resilience of African road culture. A tree-and-sun motif is engraved inside the tongue: the leather powers your growth, the trunk marks your journey. This is lineage you wear. We built *Leather Above, Road Below*. Fast fashion sneakers are oil-based, worn 5 times, and discarded. Timba Steps counters with design-led innovation. Upper: full-grain Malawian calf leather, vegetable-tanned for 30 days, scents polished for work and gains character with use. Sole: repurposed truck tyres from Malawi’s roads, preserving the original tread that once carried vehicles across the nation. You walk on the same roads that raised you. Detail: “Year 1 → Year 10” is laser-engraved inside the tongue. The leather shows your growth. The tyre sole shows your journey. Storm welt construction joins leather to tyre by hand for strength and style. From sketch to hand-cut hornbill detailing, this is African engineering. The heel carries a hornbill wing. The Southern Ground-Hornbill is our symbol because of its character: it walks long distances before it flies. It is patient, grounded, and a respected leader in Malawian culture. That is the _Timba_ character — ambition that stays rooted. Graduates need one pair that serves tutorials and boardrooms. Chaka delivers formal credibility with road-tested durability, directly rejecting the waste of disposable shoes. This design reduces landfills. Each pair saves one hide and one truck tyre from landfill, diverting 2kg of rubber waste. We use ≥90% cowhide, a meat-industry by-product, tanned locally. A brass tab traces sourcing to Malawian tanneries and tyre yards, and maps cobbler networks for 10-year repairs. Zero virgin plastic. Zero compromise. This is the shoe that graduates with you. It serves over 11 million African students entering work.Built to look better after four years of use. Scuff it on campus. Polish it for the pitch. Modular, resolable design ensures long-term value for young professionals. Timba Steps proves African quality through material truth. Real leather to show African quality and solve African problems. Published by ambition. Grounded by where you come from.

In association with Arts Thread

Working with our partners at Arts Thread to develop lifelong learning and career opportunities for students of fashion and design. Our partnership provides the opportunity to compete on a world stage, participate in industry led workshops, set up an outstanding portfolio and gain access to the resources that will kickstart careers in fashion and design.