The story of a Made-in-Nigeria footwear company
How Yinka Atunde built Nigerian footwear manufacturer Yikodeen.
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Interview with Yinka Atunde
FOUNDER and CEO, YIKODEEN
Lives in: Lagos, Nigeria
In 2016, Yinka Atunde established the Nigerian footwear manufacturer Yikodeen. Although the company began by making fashion shoes, it has since carved out a niche in industrial safety boots and footwear for the security services.
Starting out in the footwear game
Atunde studied computer science at Babcock University in Nigeria, graduating in 2014. However, he sought a different path, drawn instead to design and the artistic process. It was this interest that eventually led him into footwear.
To expand his industry knowledge, he travelled to Italy for a course in shoemaking, a programme that included placements at Italian footwear companies. There, he witnessed the immense detail and passion inherent in Italian production.
In search of a different perspective, he also toured factories in China – the world’s biggest footwear manufacturer – to understand their techniques. He found the Chinese process was markedly different, characterised by a faster pace and a more commercial focus.
Upon his return to Nigeria in 2015, Atunde made a decision that dismayed his family: he took a manual role in a local shoe factory. It was a calculated move, designed to give him an unvarnished view of production on the ground.
