When I Went to Learn Shoemaking, They Rejected Me Because I’m a Woman – Lady Shoemaker Says

A Nigerian graduate who makes beautiful shoes has said she struggled before she could find a place to learn the handwork.

According to the lady named Yetunde, when she approached a man to teach her, she was rejected because she was female.

But she insisted on learning and found another place where she learned while still in school. Today, she owns her own showroom and employs staff. Determination is key!

Yetunde Odewuni, a graduate of Transport Management from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso has said she was rejected when she wanted to learn shoemaking. According to Yetunde, the first place she went to learn, she was told women were not accepted.

Today, Yetunde owns her own shop, has apprentices and also employs staff. In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, Yetunde said: “The first shoemaker I went to meet in my area then rejected me politely based on they don’t take female apprentices in his unit.

“And in fact, I just wanted to learn female slippers and sandals, so I tried to persuade him to help him speak to their chairman because of the nearness to my house then.

“After some days he got back to me that’s it’s still no, and he said there are units that take females I should go there. That was what made me find a better place to learn.”

One why she is into shoemaking and not something else, Yetunde said: “Initially, I started with bag making; Ankara bags to be precise, then I went for an advanced class and proceeded to make leather bags.

It was one of my customers that requested for a matching shoe for her bag that made me go for the shoemaking training.”