AFTER launching the heels version of Gbemisoke shoe line earlier in May, Gbemi Olateru- Olagbegi, has been receiving unprecedented requests from fans, and this may just take her business to the next level.
The Gbemisoke brand is targeted at women with big feet, and the artistes says she has started receiving emails and DM’s like; ” Gbemi, I am getting married soon and I have been searching for nice shoes to wear. My shoe size is 13 Wide. Please do you have dressy shoes or sandals in red preferably please? “Or “Gbemi, my 14 year old daughter wears a US11 shoe size and she is still growing! Thank God for Gbemisoke shoes! Please hurry up and make different styles and colours. You have given some relief to a concerned mother”
Now, this is a distraction from her radio show, because according to her, “Everywhere I go, people call me “Gbemisoke”. Though I’ve been on radio and in the spotlight for over 10 years, the first thing people talk to me about is shoes and their own experience while looking for shoes for themselves or for their mothers or their sisters or girlfriends,” she says.
She however reveals that when the flats launched in May, she got a lot of encouragement as well as criticism – “Why is she launching only flats?” “These shoes are basic ” “These shoes are expensive…” My favourite one is “Why are the shoes called ‘Gbemisoke’ if she only has flat shoes?”
She explains: “What those people failed to realize is that it’s a gradual process. I did not have enough money to produce & launch the flats and heels at the same time. To make matters worse, the dollar went from N180 to N225 without warning.
“Nobody knew that the week I launched “Gbemisoke”, I was as broke as i had ever been. I was not sure I would be able to buy basic things like petrol and food for the following week. I emptied my bank accounts to get it off the ground.
“I haven’t slept properly in months because I’m constantly working, planning, thinking and worrying.
