Taffi Woolward, the co-founder of Thando’s in Nigeria, is one of the most exciting young female entrepreneurs in Africa. Her shoe company launched in December 2014, and already the business and fashion world is buzzing about it. Here are 12 things you didn’t know about Taffi Woolward and her Thando’s brand.
Sources: TNJ.com, Innov8tiv.com, Africa-OnTheRise.com, LilianMuhammed.com, NYU.edu, Thandos.com, SheLeadsAfrica.org
Born in Guyana, South America, Woolward moved to the U.S. and was raised in New York City. In 2013, she moved to Nigeria to start up her company, Thando’s Shoes, alongside fellow Nigerian-American co-founder JG Ayodele.
While studying for her master’s in business administration at New York University’s Stern school, Woolward started up Thando’s in October 2012 during her second year.
Though she began her company while in school, Woolward intended to transition to a private equity firm after graduation, seeking employment in fundraising or marketing departments. She sometimes refers to herself as the “accidental entrepreneur.”
Source: LilianMuhammed.com
Before beginning Thando’s, Woolward spent two months working in Johannesburg, South Africa, for a luxury brand. She often carried foldable flats in her purse to help ease the pain of wearing high heels all day, and found that her coworkers had never seen them before, as they weren’t sold in sub-Saharan Africa at all. Woolward recognized the gap in the market, inspiring the focus for Thando’s.
Much like the foldable flats Woolward would carry herself on her way to work in Johannesburg, Thando’s sells flats that can be stored easily for women to carry with them throughout the day. On their website, they claim, “Our lightweight flats are compact enough to be conveniently placed into your office drawer or purse, comfortable enough to provide superior foot relief, durable enough to wear on city streets and stylish enough to inspire self-expression and individuality.”
Source: Thandos.com
During her time in South Africa, Woolward’s friends gave her a “local name.” They decided on Thando, meaning “love,” and, as Woolward said, “The logo for Thando’s is inspired by a love for Africa and the pleasurable feeling of a bare foot in the sand.”
Source: LilianMuhammed.com
As Thando’s has a unique model that allows artists to co-design shoes, it also adopted a profit-sharing model to benefit those that collaborate on the brand’s designs. All of its designs are crowd-sourced, with a commitment to comfort, style, and affordability.
In an interview, Woolward said, “We’ve committed to giving back 3% of company profits to organizations that support youth entrepreneurship in Africa. We want to show the world that talent, quality, and creativity can come from an African brand.”
Woolward recognizes that she is breaking into a male-dominated industry, as men have historically led the shoe industry. She credits other female shoe company founders such as Tory Burch and Jimmy Choo’s Tamara Mellon for their work in creating a space for women leaders in the fashion world.
In 2014, Woolward was chosen by Forbes Magazine for a list of Emerging Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in Africa. In an interview, she later credited this as her most satisfying moment thus far in her business.
In an interview, Woolward named her mother as her greatest inspiration, both in business and in life in general. She said, “She has always taught me how to find peace in the toughest moments. As an entrepreneur things don’t often turn out the way I plan, but being able to tap into something greater than myself helps me not to give up. My mother has always lived her life that way and that is part of her legacy to me.”
Source: LilianMuhammed.com
In 2014, Woolward and Thando’s won third place, and a $1,000 cash prize, in the She Leads Africa competition, a showcase for African women entrepreneurs. She entered to gain exposure for her brand and to have the opportunity to meet other female entrepreneurs in Africa with similar passions and goals.