Im a Kenyan shoe desingner doubling up as a fashion stylist/ connoisseur. My journey as a shoe designer began in 2020 when the world was at a stand still due to the corona virus pandemic. Where im from; Kenya we were on 'total lock down' that meant movement in and out of the country was restricted so goods being shipped into the country were scruitinized and fashion items at the time were not a top priority. Working as a stylist i got one gig that required me to find a pair of shoe for a client that wasnt readily available and that right there was my light bulb moment and thats how I got into shoe desinging. Did alot of research a the time given we had alot of free time on our hands and took an online learning course for shoe designing. Im still trying to find my space in the Design sector but i can comfortably say im onto something
The title IRATU is derived from the Gikuyu community of Kenya meaning shoes to take you places. The Gikuyu community who are bantu speakers migrated into the coutry in the early 1500s. Some of the challenges they faced are atributed to the great trek where they did that barefooted. In this project, i created a strong durable boot in the honor of their great trek while still trying to bring out the fashion concept in it. The boot is designed to withstand various climatic conditions and this came to mind seeing how the bantus walked despite the climatic changes, the boot is built with a rubber sole that can endure the rough terrain if you're an outdoor person or slippery floors for the indoor people. It is infused with demin to allow proper aeration during hot days whereas still block the cold out during those cold seasons.
For the urban style and design i decided to go for the brogue concept just to add character to the boot and give it an urban touch. The leather on the shoe is obtained from sheep that are reared in the highlands of Kenya where the Gikuyu community settled and what greater way to honor their origin story than creating a shoe to celebrate them.
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