Give me waste fabric and I’ll make you nice sandals

It all started with turning a pair of worn out shoes into sandals using a piece of cotton cloth.

Out came an outstanding footwear, which Mr Isaac Kamau’s brother wore to Kisumu while hunting for a job in the lakeside town. That was three years ago.

Well, people loved Mr Kamau’s work and some demanded to know where they could buy similar footwear.

But the 35-year-old could not immediately understand why people adored his work. Little did he know that he had just exhibited his talent and soon, it would start bringing him good tidings.

And so when his brother failed to get a job at the lakeside city, he returned to Mr Kamau’s house at Flamingo estate, in Nakuru, where he shared his experiences about his shoes.

“At first, I laughed because the shoes were oversize.” Mr Kamau told Money at his house from where he makes the now popular fashion of sandals.

“Later, he told me that I actually got the talent and the fact that a number of individuals had recognised the shoes meant that they were attractive,” said Mr Kamau, whose parents died while he was in class one forcing him to drop out of school.

POOR DECISION

Convinced on his ability, his brother invested Sh1,500 in buying him the tools of trade — waste fabric from second-hand clothes, a pair of scissors, craft knife, waterproof glue and a hammer.

The first six pairs of sandals, which he made in the first week, were bought by buyers immediately. But there was a problem. Mr Kamau did not understand the small matter of why pricing is a vital element in business. He let the buyers take control and as such, he made no profit.

“I sold some pairs at Sh200 and others at Sh300. I did not make any profit. My brother was very mad with me. I did not know what to do next since I did not have any other source of income,” he said.

The consequences of his poor decision hit him hard. And for six months, he turned to menial jobs with a view to raise capital to start afresh, but it was all in vain. Overwhelmed with distress, he begged his brother, a hairdresser, to finance him on agreement that he makes profit in order to sustain his business.

Now, when you order for any size of his sandals for an adult, be prepared to part with at least Sh700.

Give him worn out tyres, sheets of fabric from tents, denim, light or heavy leather; materials used for making couches and he will deliver sandals for your leisure or evening walk. He will make you the type that would soothe your feet during the sunny days of the year when closed shoes are an unbearable footwear.

As long as the materials are available, men, women and children can have their designs made since Mr Kamau can make up to six pairs of footwear per day.

And when he is not out in the market, you will find him doing the measurements, gluing the soles or shaping the shoes using a knife and a hammer.

He uses a standard sole to cut out the tyre, which serves as the outer sole.

He refers to the measurements to piece together a hard sheet, which is attached to the piece of tyre as the inner sole, before joining it with either leather, denim or fabric material. The shoe straps are also made from similar materials.

A pair of children sandals goes for a maximum of Sh300 while those for the adults retail at over Sh700.

EXHIBIT PRODUCTS

However, a major challenge in his venture is customer’s devaluation of his work. Some buyers, who perceive the venture as cheap, demand to buy the sandals at throw away prices.

“A customer would want to buy leather sandals at Sh200. Of course it is not in his interest to know the cost involved, but leather is expensive. A two-metre piece goes for Sh800, which can produce a maximum of 10 pairs of sandals,” he said.

He says as long as the buyer takes good care of the sandals, they can remain in good condition for up to three years.

Thanks to his creativity, traders from as far as Rwanda and Tanzania are making steady orders of up to 50 pairs a week. “These are customers, who saw someone wearing the sandals and directed them to me,” says Mr Kamau, who also makes door to door sales.

For the last one year, he has been a contestant in some competitions exhibiting his innovative range of products. The latest expo was held in Rwanda early this year but it passed him due to the huge financial requirements which he couldn’t meet at the time.

At the moment, Mr Kamau says he is saving in order to open a shoe workshop in Nakuru. And to augment his income, he has opened a boutique that is run by his wife.

Although, his dreams are big and he wishes to achieve them before he is 45, he is reluctant to take a bank loan fearing of losing his business should he fail to repay within the time limits.