IRATU

Category: Footwear

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.