VAYA footwear will be launching its first-ever store in Johannesburg (Newtown Junction Mall) on Saturday, the 6th of November 2021.
Nine months after launching a footwear brand from a backroom in Katlehong which is a township that is based in the east rand, the company is already satisfied with the three full-time employees it has employed and it is exciting to create other employment opportunities. “We’re excited by the prospect of creating job opportunities for our communities whilst helping others to achieve their goals,” expressed the founder and CEO of VAYA footwear, Themba Makamo. This brand is a brainchild of Themba Makamo who was a journalist prior to his entrepreneurial journey. He initiated his idea in 2019.
“I realised that whenever we embark on any journey in life whether it is a job interview, a performance, a date or event, the shoes that we wear influence how confident we are going to feel on that occasion,” Themba points out. Without any funding, he raised his own capital and with the assistance of others he managed to find a manufacturing partner and made his first pairs of shoes.
“We started taking pre-orders at the end of 2020 and they were sold out within a week when the pairs arrived in February 2021. The idea behind the shoes is to see people being inspired and having that “Go For It” mindset when they wear them,” states Themba.
Prior to the launch, the shoe manufacturing company (VAYA footwear) was selling its shoes online on its website and WhatsApp.
“The opening of the store will offer customers a physical experience of the shoes, something which we are excited about,” Themba concluded.
By Palesa Ndinisa
