Some people discover their calling in a university lecture hall. For Yinka Atunde, it took a different route, one that led him from a Computer Science degree to shoe factories in Italy and China, and eventually to searching abandoned factories in Nigeria for machines he could bring back to life.

Atunde founded Yikodeen in 2016, turning his interest in footwear into a homegrown brand. His story is not the familiar tale of a graduate who followed a straight career path. It is about a young Nigerian who became curious about how shoes were made and decided to learn the craft for himself, even when doing so meant starting from the factory floor.

A degree, a detour and a new craft

Atunde graduated from Babcock University in 2014 with a degree in Computer Science. But footwear design caught his attention, drawing him towards a trade that demanded a different kind of knowledge: an understanding of materials, construction, fit and the skill required to turn separate pieces into a finished shoe.

Rather than rely on what he could learn from a distance, he travelled to Italy to study shoemaking. He later visited China to observe footwear production and see how the craft worked on a larger scale.

The trips gave him a broader view of the industry, but his education did not end abroad. After returning to Nigeria in 2015, Atunde took a manual job at a local shoe factory. It meant getting close to the actual work, learning the routines of production and seeing what it took to make footwear beyond the sketches and ideas that might inspire a design.

That experience helped him approach shoemaking as both a craft and a practical skill. He was not simply interested in having a footwear label with his name on it. He wanted to understand how the shoes were made.

The machines that gave Yikodeen a start

Starting a footwear brand required more than learning to make shoes. Atunde also needed equipment, and new machinery was expensive for a young entrepreneur trying to establish a production operation.

His solution was to look for machines that other businesses had left behind. Published accounts of his journey say he visited more than 15 defunct footwear factories, searching for equipment he could acquire and restore.

The machines were not necessarily ready to use. Some needed repairs, and keeping them running meant working with engineers and dealing with breakdowns and replacement-part challenges. It was hardly the glamorous side of building a fashion brand, but it gave Atunde a way to begin production without having to purchase an entirely new set of equipment.

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Yikodeen initially made fashion shoes before moving towards industrial safety footwear. That change gave the brand a more specialised identity. Instead of making shoes mainly for everyday style, it began producing protective boots for workers who need footwear capable of withstanding demanding conditions.

Safety boots might not have the same appeal as a striking pair of trainers or dress shoes, but they require their own kind of craftsmanship. The fit must be practical, the materials durable, and the finished product suitable for the work it is designed to support.

Making Nigerian footwear for Nigerian workplaces

Yikodeen’s safety footwear brought Atunde’s work into settings where shoes serve a purpose far beyond appearance. Workers in industries such as oil and gas, construction and manufacturing need protective equipment they can rely on, making quality and product approval important parts of the process.

The brand has reportedly reached milestones including product approval by energy services company Saipem and an order for 10,000 pairs of footwear from the Nigerian Police. Published profiles have also associated Yikodeen with major Nigerian organisations and industrial projects.

In 2025, the company received a US$1.5 million investment from Aruwa Capital Management. That same year, it inaugurated an expanded factory in Ejigbo, Lagos, with reports putting its production capacity at 5,000 pairs of safety boots daily. The company has also been involved in vocational leatherwork training, creating opportunities for people to learn skills connected to footwear production.

These developments have brought more attention to the brand, but Atunde’s journey began with a much simpler ambition: to learn how shoes are made and find a way to make them himself. There is something distinctly practical about that journey. He travelled to learn, returned to work with his hands and built his early production around machines others had discarded.

Cynthia Nwanonyiri