Tuku footwear skids

Bruce Ndlovu
2015 was a groundbreaking year for Zimbabwean music superstar Oliver Mtukudzi.

After years of being hailed for his artistry and ability as a musician, Tuku made inroads in the world of fashion, releasing his exclusive line of Haikobo shoes while also featuring his own clothing range at the Zimbabwean Fashion Week.

Tukua��s announcement in February last year that his much anticipated Haikobo range was ready for public consumption was met with excitement from fans, who finally got a chance to don the footwear that the superstar had made famous in his long and illustrious career.

While the shoe was greeted with excitement, many cautioned that as the shoe ranged from $60 to $120, it would be a hard sell in a depressed economy.

A year since the shoea��s debut, Mtukudzia��s camp acknowledges that the economy made it tough for the shoe range to thrive as they thought it would.

According to Tukua��s manager Sam Mataure, Haikobo was looking for a more prosperous year should the countrya��s economy improve.

a�?As with everything else things have been hard because of the state of the economy. We would have loved to have done more things and pushed more products but in the current climate you have to take things a step at a time. I have hope that as we go further into the year in 2016 things will improve,a�? he said.

Mataure said that despite the challenges faced by the brand, they were looking to branch out into school wear as they seek to cater for people of all ages.

a�?The next thing for us is to do school shoes. We would like to branch into the school market but that is largely dependent on how the brand does as a whole,a�? he said.

Mataure added that the public had not seen the best of Haikobo as of yet, with plans to grow the brand outside the countrya��s capital. He said that Bulawayo was a particular point of reference, given Tukua��s popularity in the City of Kings.

a�?We want to hold a mini re-launch in Bulawayo. We want him to come to Bulawayo for a whole weekend so that in addition to the concert he can meet the fans and show them the shoe,a�? he said.

Mataure said they were still yet to come with the final dates for the visit which they had deferred since last year.