Horseman Shoes adds Italian touch to Ghanaian ingenuity

Staff of indigenous shoe manufacturer, Horseman Shoes Limited, have benefitted from a five-day hands-on training from the ModaPelle Academy in Milan, Italy.

The training programme, sponsored by the Skills Development Fund (SDF) is aimed at improving the craftsmanship of the company's staff, equipping them with knowledge on design as well as exposing them to new and modern trends in the shoemaking business.

The course made it  possible for Horseman Shoes to tap into the vast expertise of the Milan-based fashion school.

The Chief Executive Officer of Horseman Shoes, Mr Tonyi Senayah, told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS that the knowledge acquired would help spice up the company's local ingenuity with the famous Italian styles and quality revered across the world.

It was also in line with Horseman's commitment to manufacturing shoes locally to meet international standards.

“We are committed to producing products and building a brand that is world class. We have a vision to create employment and also become the most preferred brand and we recognise that to achieve that we need to upgrade our skills and build capacity,” he said.  

The training, which was organised in Kumasi, also benefitted leather work students at the Department of Integrated Rural Art and Industry in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and other small-scale shoemakers within the Ashanti Region.

Horseman Shoes, which manufactures all kinds of shoes for males, shot into the limelight last year when President John Mahama announced at his 2014 State of the Nation Address that his footwear was made by Horseman Shoes.

That gesture by the president turned media and public attention towards the brand, with many quickly christening Horseman as 'the President's shoemaker.'

At the just-ended Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, a number of celebrities wore some of Horseman Shoes’ exquisite designs.

While admitting that the impact of these developments had been positive on the business, the company's CEO and founder said they also placed onerous responsibility on the company to deliver to the expectation of the public.

With the training given to the artisans, Mr Senayah was optimistic it would help strengthen their expertise to craft designs that would be admired across the country.

Going forward, he said customers should expect new and improved designs that would match those from Italy.

He also expressed his appreciation to the SDF, which is under the Council for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), for the opportunity, adding that the company would ensure that the knowledge acquired inures to the benefit of the country.