Day19 : MY GO-TO SHOE MAKERS IN LAGOS

Posted on by Michael Okunloro


I am of the school of thought that my feet will take me places, and a journey of a thousand mile begins with the first step. This means our feet is an essential part of our body—the medium through which we embark on our  life’s work. Simply put, the feet that takes us places needs to be taken care of—and this shouldn’t stop at pedicure. 

As a gentleman, you can’t afford to be caught unfresh. The drip must always be at a premium. It doesn’t matter what day of the week it is, or what occasion you are headed for, you must be prepared to steal the show. 

 

To complete the perfect look, it goes without saying that finding the right and comfortable shoe cannot be overlooked. For me, comfort, structure, size and how the shoe makes me feel in general matters a lot. Trust me, you don’t want to step out in the wrong footwear – it is a nightmare. 

 

 

Over the years, I’ve made it a point of duty  to explore different footwear brands within Nigeria and internationally. So, take it from me when I say  I know how difficult it is to find the perfect shoes. Fortunately,  having the contacts of these awesome shoe brands has made it easy for me to always get what I want. I am glad to say  my experience with them  over the years is nothing short of breathtaking.

 

In this post, I have decided to share with you my TOP 6 go-to shoemakers in Lagos. Did I hear you say “thank you”? Oh, you are welcome!!! For the gents, you can’t accuse XclusiveMic of never doing anything for you. And for  the ladies, now you know where to get your man that dope gift. 

 

I must add that I have been able to build a great relationship with these guys over the years, and I have known some of them since my days as an undergrad in the University of Lagos. So, you can be rest assured that you are in safe hands. 

  

1. K.ASPEN (@K.ASPEN, +2347064738712) : 
K.ASPEN is another shoe brand owned by Kemi Juba (another friend from Unilag). I’m sure by now you must be wondering if I got a degree in scouting shoe brands. 
 Kemi’s slippers  exude panache, sophistication and class—which canbe traced down to her personality. This brand is an embodiment of its owner. 
 Amongst other beautiful things I have to say about this footwear brand, it is the ease of doing business with them that stands out the most for me. 



Sometime ago, I got a slippers from them and on trying it out, I realized it needed to be worked on for a better fit—which is the essence of bespoke. Their response to my request was really fast, andI got my slippers  at the exact  time they stipulated for delivery. 

 

2. SALUBATA : 

This unique brand was founded by two crazy guys from Unilag—Fela Buyi and Adetona Omokanye—who later became my friends. I never cease to be amazed by the genius idea that Salubata is.  

I still remember getting a pair of shoes from their Gloria collection, and a palm slippers from another collection whose name I can’t remember. With Salubata though, one thing is guaranteed: they make a fantastic first impression. The leather and quality of their footwear is always top notch. Take this from me because I have had  mine for a while.  One thing that attracted me to this brand is the ingenuity of its name. I love  the fact that while they make shoes for different kinds of events, the name they go by is a constant reminder of their heritage. 


I must confess, their new line of  products is really mind blowing. It is something you all should check out. Fela Buyi and Adetona Omokanye have taken it a step further by fully making shoes from recycled products. This purely Nigerian brand is pushing other fashion brands into the future. They are already working towards sustainability, and making the world a healthy place for all. 

 

Trust me, with the pace at which they’re moving, I see a brand that can compete, and stand out amongst other global footwear giants in no distant time. 

 

3. IVY BARBER  (IVY_BARBERNG +14058893614} : 

Tutu Dawodu is the brain behind Ivy Barber. This is a shoe brand that isn’t gender specific—it caters for both men and women.  I’m not too sure if I ever met Tutu back in Unilag, but I know we always found each other in the same art space either at African Artist Foundation, book clubs or Afropolitan Vibes. 



Looking closely at the wonderful work Tutu is doing with Ivy Barber, I am not surprised this spaces have greatly influenced the type of footwear this creative brand releases. 

 One thing I love about Ivy Barbers’ slippers is its simplicity and how she plays with colors. So, if you enjoy rocking colorful footwear, you already know the exact place to go. 

 

4.MONI MORGAN 

(@Monimorganshoes +234 818 980 8757) : 

 Moni Morgan is owned by Adu Adeyori Ezekiel (who by the way is my favourite guy of all time). 

 It all started when I saw a shoe he made for a friend in 2016, and I decided to give him a call to know if he can deliver in 2 days as I needed it for an event. His response ? “awa ma se” (meaning we will get it done). True to his words, he delivered in 2 days and that was the beginning of our toxic relationship 😂. 

 

For me, the stand out thing  about Moni Morgan shoes is that he loves to explore, and he is relentless in building his brand and products. Whenever I’m wearing colors and I need a shoe to explore that look, Moni is that guy.  

Moni Morgan has done incredibly well with his brand. You shouldn’t even bother to raise an alarm anytime you find his products being worn by your favorite celebrities. 

 

5.TRAX_APPAREL  (TRAX_APPAREL_ +2349079634433) : 

My journey with this really amazing shoe brand began when I got a black suede mules made by Trax as a gift a while ago. 


That very thoughtful gift became 

one of my favourite half shoes. It was super comfortable, and was made with really good material. 

For me, the only downside to the mules was the crest on it. I found it a bit too loud—I guess that’s tailored down to our individual preferences and style. 

 

6. Dobblebees_bespoke  (@Dobblebees_bespoke  +2348062943530) :  

Dobblebees is the brainchild of Dami Durodola. In 2015, Dami invited me to his factory for a meeting. His brother’s wedding was around the corner, and he wanted a  discount for my professional fee. Guess what Dami did? He offered to give me a pair of slippers as a balance for my fee. Crazy dude 😂.



Although the business didn’t pull through at the time, the sheer creativity and class that I saw in his factory that day made me revisit in 2016 when my cousin was getting married. I got a pair of suede blue loafers and a brown monk strap from him. 



I wasn’t overly excited about the brown monk strap he made for me, but the blue loafers was my ride or die for years—the comfort and structure was everything, 

 

Over the years, I have gotten loads of slippers from Dami. I’m really happy with how big his brand has grown . There is absolutely no doubt I will always go back to his store for more. 

​

For consultation and styling you can reach out to me on bookXclusivemic@gmail.com  and you can find me 

@Xclusivemic_ on all socials (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube.)

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