•Lady Cobbler, ZAINAB ALAYANDE CEO, ZEINNY CRAFTS
The story of Zeinny Crafts is a true testimony of the can do spirit of an average Nigerian youth. It is a motivation to many young hardworking youths that hope to become great once they pick interest in their potentials and remain focused.Zainab Alayande is the CEO and brain behind the wave making Zeinny Crafts many Lagos celebrities now patronise.
Alayande has made designer shoes for quite a number of Lagos celebrities among them are top politicians, academics, musicians, actors, actresses, and influencers. The young Zainab has made shoes for the likes of the sitting Deputy Governor of Lagos, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, The SSA to the President on Political matters Sen Ojudu Babafemi, the former Governor of Lagos state Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, The Executive Chairman of Shomolu Mr Abdulhameed Salawu,Comedian and Actor Ali baba, actor Rotimi Salami, Sotayogaga, musician and reality TV star Jaypaul,The Vice Chancellor Unilag, Deputy Vice Chancellor Unilag and many others.They rock her shoes to parties and other social gatherings.
The young graduate of Yabatech and UNILAG has taken a courageous step of dropping her credentials and picking great interest in her potential. She is indeed a trailblazer and role model to many youths out there. She is excelling in a male dominated industry.
Also she has done well in taking her shoe making business a step further as she now runs a shoe making school in Lagos. She also stages an annual fashion show called DEXTERITY which is aimed at promoting home made leather fashion brands.
The passion she throws into her craft is unrivalled and that speaks volume of her personality.She is highly skillful and multi-talented. Zeinny Craft is fast becoming one of the most sought Cobblers after as many celebrities prefer having her make their shoes.
In a recent chat with her, she talked about how she developed herself in the craft which turned out to be a very lucrative business for her. Sit back and enjoy the excerpts from the chat:
How did shoemaking business start for you?
It started out as a passion when I was young. All those time, I never knew I had passion for shoe making. I remember when I was around age 7/8, I would gathered bad foot wears, I go to mallams, buy gum and soles from them while I repair peoples shoes for free on my own small money lol. I also always cared for the shoes back then too.But I started officially as a shoe maker in the year 2016.
What makes your designs different from other companies?
We always give all our products shoe maintenance kits and kits relating to products purchased. Also , our choice of materials are always top notch and unique, our attention to the tiniest details is one of our greatest strength, then you can always tell a Zeinny Crafts product because our designs are also creative, stylish and fashionable, our products are also very comfortable and durable.Our pre and post customer care service is top notch. Simply put, we are unique in all ways.
Tell us about yourself and your academic background ?
I am Alayande Zainab, the 2nd of 5 children of my mum. Actually, a product of divorced parents, So literally it was my mum that took care of we all her children. She’s actually usually referred to by people as ‘’ obirin bi okunrin’’ meaning a woman just like a man. So, she’s the one I took after, she’s my motivation. I attended boarding school, Bufetola Children school and when I was age 6, I had to leave the school when it was difficult for my mum to further continue with the payment of our school fees after my primary school education, I attended Dee Ultimate Secondary School. From there I proceeded to Yabatech where I studied Polymer technology and afterwards proceeded to the university of Lagos where I studied Cell Biology and Genetics. I actually wrote Jamb 5 times before finally gaining admission into the university.
How did you come up with your brand name, Zeinny Crafts?
“Zeinny” from my name Zainab and “Crafts” from our creativity.
What are the other things you are good at?
I’ve been someone who challenges status quo and as such I usually do unique things. I love physical activities. I used to play foot ball professionally years back, I did play for Pepsi, MFM, first 11 just to list a few.I was also a member of the foot ball team of Yabatech back then, and also was the captain of my departmental football team.In Unilag, I also played table tennis professionally, I played for Union Homes then too.Then I did other things like cycling, I fight karate. I actually represented my institution Yabatech in the West Africa Polytechnic Games, WAPOGA games that was held in Ghana back then too.
How long does it take you to deliver a job?
Depends on the technicality in design, availability of the materials too.Usually we give 2-4 working days for our orders (express orders).
As a lady how do you feel doing what many people consider as men’s job?
It wasn’t so difficult for me because I knew what I wanted and I went straight for it. I’m a certified shoe maker and I’m unapologetic about that.
What are the other things you do at Zeinny Crafts?
We have some extension of the brand Zeinny which includes Zeinny Crafts shoe school which is an academy where we get to train the people making them employers of labour and assets to the country. We also have a fashion show brand DEXTERITY that tends to portray the leather fashion brand and the handmade brand in the lime light across the globe. The first edition happened September 10 2022 and it gained the attention of prominent people and a whole lot of them graced the event from the Vice Chancellor Unilag to the Deputy Vice Chancellor to Presenter and Lawyer at TVC to various actors and actresses.
What do you think are the major challenges of the shoemaking industry in Nigeria?
The shoemaking business faces a whole lot of challenges varying from funding to electricity to man power just to list a few.
What do you think is the way out?
We need the system to be right first, then investment into the sector by government bodies and private bodies will do us a lot of good.
Where do you see your firm in the next 5 years?
I see Zeinny Crafts having strong presence in the 36 states across Nigeria and also a strong presence in nothing less than 10 countries across Africa and also globally.
What is your advice for Nigerian Youths?
Believe in yourself, push yourself, encourage yourself even when no one seems to encourage you! The sky is your starting point. Thanks soo much for having me.
-Muhammed Jamiu Abubakar,
08085185886
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