Giving worn-out shoes a new life

Christine Gathuini, 38, is the founder of Afrishiq, a company that restyles and revamps old shoes and accessories. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • The former financial advisor has carved a niche for herself in the word of shoe and accessory modification.
  • “I got a few of my old shoes made over and since I had just cut my permed hair, it was the perfect time to try headwraps. I would match my shoes to the headwraps. Soon enough, women at church were asking me to give their shoes a makeover.”
  • Overcoming this inner angst took her months. Now three years in and with a team of four, Christine gives makeovers to anything ranging from shoes and jewellery to spectacles and suitcases.

Every woman has that one pair of shoes that is worn-out beyond repair, but she still holds on to it despite knowing that nothing can be done to salvage it. Or can’t it? Well, 38-year-old

Christine Gathiuni, has a different view.

Give her a worn-out pair of shoes and she will take it apart, put it back together with materials of your choice and give you back a brand new shoe. Give her an ill-fitting one and she will make it fit.

Give her a sky-scraping killer heel that you can’t walk in and she will turn it into a stylish and comfortable wedge. Well-spoken and stylish, the former financial advisor has carved a niche for herself in the word of shoe and accessory modification.

When we visit her workshop in Umoja, Nairobi, for this interview, the surfaces are strewn with different fabrics, among them suede, lace, silk and Ankara. Just looking around, it is obvious that she has a penchant for African print.

“My mission is to help people save money through fashion and recycling,” she speaks of her business.

This was not something she had a deep passion for that refused to go away. It was something that came to her when she was at the end of her rope.

“While I have always had an interest in fashion, starting my business was going into a completely unfamiliar territory,” she says.

Her initial career path was finance. After a getting a degree in international business administration from the United States International University- Africa, a younger Christine settled into an exciting career as a financial advisor.

“It was interesting to learn new things, the money was good and a lot of people I met were impressed by my job. They equated my position with intelligence,” she recalls.

After five years as a financial advisor, she decided to try her hand at consulting.

IDENTITY CRISIS

“I got a financial consultancy job that had me travelling around the country giving financial advice to youth groups who would otherwise not afford it. I was actually making a difference. It was very fulfilling,” she says.

Then, in 2012, the contact ended and her phone stopped ringing. It remained silent for the next 14 months. Luckily for her, being a financial advisor, she had known to stash away some cash for a rainy day and this is what she lived on for the months when she was out of a job.

“The more the weeks passed without a job in sight, the more restless I got. I couldn’t sleep at night. It was during one of these sleepless nights that the idea of recycling shoes came to me. It may sound strange, but it just came to me all of a sudden,” she says.

The very next morning, she woke up determined to learn as much as she could about it. She walked around shops and markets looking for people plying a similar trade. When she was satisfied that it could be done, she began looking for someone with the skill to revamp shoes to work with.

“I got a few of my old shoes made over and since I had just cut my permed hair, it was the perfect time to try headwraps. I would match my shoes to the headwraps. Soon enough, women at church were asking me to give their shoes a makeover.”

She wasn’t making much from these jobs but her client list was growing. She also began attending fashion shows and trade fairs to interact with others in her trade. Subsequently, her client list grew.

“For most start-ups, growing the client base is usually the greatest challenge. I had just moved from a high-end white-collar job to what most regarded as jua kali. I found myself in the midst of an identity crisis.”

Her former colleagues and college mates kept asking her why she had quit her career, questions which only served to deepen her doubts. Overcoming this inner angst took her months. Now three years in and with a team of four, Christine gives makeovers to anything ranging from shoes and jewellery to spectacles and suitcases. During the rainy season when demand for fancy shoes is lower, they concentrate on clutch bags and jewellery. Revamping a shoe costs anything between Sh400 and Sh2000.

Eventually, Christine wants to expand her business to cater to people who have deformed feet as a result of jigger infestation. She hopes to create custom-made shoes with medicated inner soles so that such individuals can get comfort while healing. Christine also has another dream.

“I think a lot of things that are wrong with the society today are as a result of the neglect of the boy child. In the foreseeable future, I want to begin a programme where boys can be trained to stand on their feet,” she says.

Christine’s counsel

  •  Be open to advice. Being a lone ranger is a bad strategy for business.

  •  Have a support system.  Talk to people especially during the low seasons. You will need the inspiration to be creative.

  •  You can’t afford to have one way of doing things, learn to adapt and to be flexible.