Obafemi Olayebi

Mastercard Foundation 2021 - 2022

Foundry Fellow

From:

Nigeria

Sector:

Manufacturing

Location:

Nigeria

Femi established FemiHandbags purely by accident. After designing and making a diaper bag for her first baby, she started receiving orders from family and friends. Thus began an amazing journey of entrepreneurship. From making diaper bags, laundry hampers, playmats, and toy bags, to decorating children’s rooms, and eventually venturing into the world of interior decoration, she gradually built a strong, accessible luxury line of leather handbags, which have become iconic pieces for the audacious, well-traveled, sophisticated woman with style.

Having successfully launched and scaled a luxury leather brand, Femi hopes to train and support the next generation of artisan entrepreneurs. She plans to launch a full-scale hard and soft skills training program in leathercrafting techniques, footwear, and small leather goods aimed at narrowing the skills gap and building a talent pool within the leather industry. Femi believes Nigeria’s rich heritage, cultures, and legacies can be tapped into to inspire the future.