Sought by luxury labels_ Nigerian leather reclaims home market
Most Nigerian leather_ often semi-finished_ is exported to Europe and Asia and turned into luxury items bearing international brand labels_ with zero trace of its origins.
But with her homegrown brand_ Isi Omiyi creates high-end pieces to try to reclaim Nigeria's leather identity.
In her apartment in the Lagos metropolis_ she has created a boutique corner where bags_ wallets and shoes are carefully displayed on shelves_ some carrying price tags of up to $1_500.
"Leather is part of our heritage. I can't just stand by and watch others receive all the credit for work that we started here_" the 56-year-old designer told AFP.
Her mission is to amplify "Made In Nigeria" craftsmanship.
She "would like these foreign brands to indicate on their products: 'originally from Nigeria' and 'made in Italy'_ 'made in France_' or elsewhere_ because most of them don't_" Omiyi said.
According to the country's export promotion agency_ Nigeria exports 90 percent of its leather_ mainly to Italy and Spain_ which make up around three-quarters of the total volume.
Leather exports generate about $600 million in annual revenue_ said Oluwole Oyekunle_ a researcher at the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology in Samaru in northern Kaduna state.
Kano_ cradle of tanneries
In Kano_ a state in northern Nigeria_ major international luxury brands source leather through intermediaries_ who link them with tanners. The state counts 11 tanneries.
Ztannery_ operational since 2010_ takes daily delivery of dozens of fresh hides of goats and sheep from across Nigeria and neighbouring countries. They are sorted and treated over nine days.
"We process from zero to semi-finished leather_ which is 80 percent of the whole process_" said company owner Abbas Hassan Zein_ 47.
Intermediaries ship the hides to Europe_ where they undergo further treatment before being sold to luxury brands like "Gucci_ Ferragamo_ Prada_ Louis Vuitton_ all the big names"_ Zein added.
"And this is where the process goes from 'Made in Nigeria' and the balance 10 percent of the finished leather is lost and becomes 'Made in Italy' or 'Made in China_'" he added.
Modern tanneries with state-of-the-art machinery like Ztannery only accept large orders paid in dollars or euros_ cutting off access by local designers who would pay in local currency.
Many turn to the traditional Majema tannery_ founded in 1932 in the heart of Kano city.
Here_ everything is done manually. Dozens of tanners clean and dye hides directly on the earthen floor amid plastic bags and bottles.
"Our customers come from the north and south_ and we also export to neighbouring countries such as Niger_ Cameroon_ Chad_ Cotonou (Benin) and Europe_" said tannery manager Mustapha Umar_ 52_ standing in front of goat hides hanging from wires_ waiting to be dyed the next day.
'Expression of heritage'
In 2017_ Femi Olayebi_ founder of the Nigerian brand FemiHandbags_ created the Lagos Leather Fair_ an annual event that brings together approximately 100 leather professionals in Nigeria's commercial hub.
"There was a need for a platform dedicated to designers_ products and leather suppliers_ demonstrating that Nigerians_ with their own resources_ are capable of creating items that are worth purchasing_" said Olayebi.
Public and private ventures are growing in the sector in Africa's most populous country.
In Kano_ Indian_ Chinese and some European producers -- not necessarily from the big names -- "have started showing interest of coming here to do the manufacturing"_ said Tijjani Sule Garo_ of GB Tannery_ a family business spanning three generations.
Back in Lagos_ the state government in August launched a factory in the Mushin neighbourhood_ with the target of producing leather goods and creating 10_000 jobs_ located near one of the country's largest leather markets.
To compete against global leather industry giants_ Olayebi stresses the need for "better machines_ better access to high-quality Nigerian leather_ and above all_ better training".
For David Lawal_ 26_ brand executive for Morin.O_ it all boils down to promoting Nigerian identity.
Many customers seek a "timeless expression of heritage"_ narrated through leather products created in Nigeria and crafted by Nigerians_ said Lawal.(AFP)