The world of sneakers and urban footwear involves big money. Think of the millions the likes of Nike and Adidas invest to make us believe we too can ‘be like Mike’ or that ‘impossible is nothing’. The barriers to entry, from design to production, distribution to retail, seem incredibly high, and that’s before you consider the superstar endorsements that almost seem par for the course.

But two local entrepreneurs have taken the slogan of Adidas to heart, and, undaunted by the hurdles, have each started their own footwear brands, to bring African trainers to the market.