Sometimes, what your feet really need is all-comfort and ease. In addition to that is being trendy, yet fashionable and interesting. These are qualities found in sneakers.Today, top footwear makers have seamlessly combined all these elements in producing innovative yet fashionable shoes. Nigeria’s Babajide Ipaye who owns Keexs brand is a top producer of sneakers and he speaks to Effects about his footwear.
What are the elements of a good sneakers?
Good sneakers should be expressive and unapologetic for style choices. It should come in designs that will make you cool and stand out from the crowd. It should be made from good rubber and leather materials for easy cleaning .A good sneakers should come in different art works and colour combinations on the surface.
Which are the different and most stylish ways to rock sneakers?
As i said, sneakers is for people who are expressive and unapologetic for style choices. Sneakers can be worn or styled in the following categories: Business Casual – a Shirt and jacket and straight-fitted pant/ jeans
Urban clothing like –Polo shirts,t-shirts, tank tops, hooded tops, jeans, shorts, joggers and native/traditional attires.
What makes sneakers fashionable and trendy footwear?
Sneakers are youthful and expressive. Its colourful element tends to make the wearer more attractive and easily noticed by people. It makes you look cool and different. Also, it’s a fashion trend for celebrities and influencers.
How essential are sneakers in one’s wardrobe?
Sneakers are an at-leisure type of footwear and works for any type of clothing. It has the ability to adapt to your everyday lifestyle as well. They are good for long travels and walking.
How do you maintain sneakers?
Sneakers are very easy to maintain. When they get dirty, they can be cleaned with a soft piece of cloth and mild liquid soap.
As a footwear designer, describe your brand of sneakers?
Keexs is the first innovative and Social footwear Brand in Africa and we are focus on the design, manufacturing and distribution of Urban and Athleisure type footwear in NIgeria and the International market.
What are the elements you have in mind when designing a keexs footwear?
The KEEXS footwear brand is an Africa inspired range of casual footwear that brings out the cool in any man or lady. It is also for people who are expressive and unapologetic for style choices. KEEXS originates two words, KICKS which means casual footwear, sneakers, shoes with rubber related soles and KEEK which means to peep surreptitiously.The elements I have in mind is to create designs will make you cool and stand out from the crowd. Since it is a made in Nigeria,you are contributing towards poverty alleviation and creating a product as a story that will inspire you.
Our shoes upper are also currently made from vegan Leather for ease of cleaning as well as the ability to play with different artworks and colour combinations on the surface. and we have an antibacterial insock which helps to deal with the humiditiy within the Nigerian environment
How do you rock a Keexs for every occasion?
The shoes POP. As general rule…Keep it minimalist with plain colours especially in the case of the artsy versions. The plain classic versions can always work with bright-colored clothing. The trick is also to keep your pants plain e.g white or black or blue, depending of the color of shoes and then you can play with the tops or tshirts in term of colour.