OUR STORY (WHY?)

Our mission at KEEXS is to pioneer innovative lifestyle products and empower communities through socially oriented projects.

The journey of KEEXS started from the personal challenges of our founder, Babajide Ipaye. Born in Lagos, Nigeria - Babajide was already wearing his Dad’s shoes at the age of 9 because he had very big feet, unfortunately he lost both parents at the tender age of 11 to a car crash and was brought up as an only child by his grandparents, uncles and aunties (he was literally raised by a community).

As he grew older, so did his shoe size until it became a US size 14 (Euro 48) – he constantly struggled to find shoes that fit in the choice of colors or designs that he wanted. . This is how KEEXS was born; Babajide decided to make his own shoes!

In order to achieve this, Babajide recognized the importance of acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge to do so. He subsequently traveled to the Netherlands in 2015 where he attended SLEM, an international innovation and training institute for footwear and leather industries, where he learned how to make sneakers from scratch – see video documentary below

In 2015, Babajide then teamed up with friend Moyosore Olowo to raise funds for this new venture, through a global online crowdfunding campaign. His vision was simple, INSPIRE & GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY - just like he was raised!