Amy Akudo Iheakanwa. “…is the brain behind the fast rising fashion accessory brand – Shekudo . Their locally crafted footwear – mostly mules and recently handbags have become a huge hit in the Nigerian fashion space. Here is a brief insight on how this brand came to be and the journey thus far.
EARLY YEARS
Growing up biracial in Australia was definitely an experience that had so many interesting peaks and troughs. We grew up in rural NSW where my mum and dad worked tirelessly with the local community. My dad, a proud Nigerian man, would tell us stories of how he proudly wore his 3-piece suit to college in Wagga Wagga in the 70s in sweltering Aussie heat. No matter the challenges he faced and the blatant discrimination he would sometimes receive, he always lifted himself up with a smile and pushed on. He taught us to be proud of our Nigerian and Australian roots, telling us that we were Nigerian royalty before we went to school most mornings. Although we technically weren’t Nigerian royalty, I now see that he was trying to instill strength and pride in us to face what may come.
Mum, a white Australian woman who grew up in a rural farming community, taught us love, compassion and quiet strength. She always made an effort to keep us connected to our Nigerian roots, but also made sure that we knew Australia was our home and that it also .manage to do a very good job at hiding systemic racism, but with recent global events, the formerly masked stench is resurfacing once more and it’s not going away.
Coming To Nigeria
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Building Shekudo
Founded in Sydney Australia, began as a women’s clothing brand -drawing on heritage, life experiences and a wearable art aesthetic.
Now under the sole creative direction of Akudo Iheakanwa, the brand relaunched into footwear and accessories moving its base across the Indian Ocean to commence production in Lagos, Nigeria. With this move, the brand hoped to shed more light on the local artisan and craftsmanship scene whilst integrating some of the age-old techniques and overlooked local resources into its own contemporary aesthetic. Shekudo has gone from a team of 4 to 14 artisans and master craftsmen in just over a year.
Shekudo works hard to make sure that the majority of its raw materials can be found or produced locally (such as its shoe heels, recycled insoles as well as the upper and lining fabric for the shoes). The brand currently includes local leather and traditional Aso Oke/Akwete cloth for its shoe uppers, local cotton for the dust bags, as well as wood, brass and silver for the earrings.
