The era of Kitenge shoes

BET YOU never thought there would be a day when shoes were made with African fabric, did you? After looking at the Kitenge being the in-thing for bridesmaid dresses, another trend involving the catchy material is African print shoes. Shoe makers are creating footwear that is covered with Kitenge, as well as what is commonly known as the Maasai blanket, to give shoes an edgy look. Bright and bold African print patterns have been added to shoes and this has given them a more appealing and fashionable look. Although some shoe manufacturing companies like Bata already have the trend in some of their collections from scratch, most people have designed shoes that they already own with the fabric for themselves. Diane Teta, the only female artist in the prominent Gakondo Music Group and a contestant in Primus Guma Guma Superstar 4, says that she owns a pair of sneakers that have a touch of Kitenge. “I loved the original design of the sneakers but the top material was getting old. So I decided to get creative. I got a piece of Kitenge that was left over from an outfit and took it to the cobbler and told him how I wanted it to look. He designed the shoes so well. I now still have my favourite sneakers but with more creativity added,” Teta says. Colombe Ituze Ndutiye, fashion designer and proprietor of INCO Icyusa Fashion House, says she wishes that the shoes with this fabric were made from scratch by Rwandans other than redesigning already made shoes. “I just wish it can all be made from scratch because it’s a way to showcase the creativity of Rwandans,” Ndutiye says. The 25-year-old Ndutiye also says that these kinds of shoes are suitable for all occasions. “It depends on the way one matches their outfit with their shoes. For example flat shoes blend well with a casual outfit. But for ceremonies like weddings or cocktail parties, high heels suit the event hence it’s the appropriate time to wear the heels,” Ndutiye says. If you have a trusted cobbler, you could experiment with an old pair of shoes to just to see how well he will do it, and if you love it, then a grab a couple of more pairs and make your own little kitenge shoes collection.