Blue Ink Media lifestyle magazine. Blueink.ng- Digital Mag 1st EditionP | Page 35

The
Fashion
Entrepreneur
Foon Shoes: Poetry To The Feet
We caught up with Tonton Raymond, the CEO of one
of Abuja’s biggest shoe brands and he gave us a verbal
tour of the Foon world. Read on.
My name is Tonton Raymond, I’m an electrical engineer,
a poet, a hip-hop lover, a writer, and a bit of a music
critic. I’m also a shoe merchant and owner of the shoe
brand, Fóōn,
I’ve always loved shoes; it was first just sneakers, and
then everything on the feet would thrill me. I dreamt I’d
own sneaker brand sometime when I was in Secondary
school and this dream morphed as I grew and learned
till it became what it is now. I want to be able now to
make footwear for everyone because I think everyone
deserves good shoes.
The brand name — Fóōn — is a word in the Wa Kirike
(Okrika) language. It means dust (earth), or ash. The
name is a reminder to myself that I must stay hum-
ble and focused; because humans are simply living
mounds of earth, the same earth my shoes step on.
I think one of the first things people notice about a
person’s outfit is their shoes. An entire outfit is like a
building, the shoes are the foundation and a terrible
foundation could ruin a beautiful building. Fóōn has
come to provide the right foundation for every man’s
outfit.
(You can follow Fóōn on Instagram @foon.ng or on
WhatsApp at 08153418331.)
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