Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - Page number 135 - July/August 2021

135 UP AND COMING If you can dream it, you can do it Following a short stint in architecture, Jorida Papa took the leap and launched footwear brand Jori Papa Footwear. Here, she tells us more… When did you start up and why? I guess It all started when I was six years old. While spending my summer break at my grandmother’s house I spent most of my time sketching fashion outfits and shoes from my imagination – I loved it. I then graduated and worked as an architect, which was not as fulfilling as I expected. I always had that voice inside which made me question if architecture was the thing I wanted to do my whole life. One day, when I was speaking with a friend about my dream she said, ‘If you really want to become a shoe designer then no one can ever stop you’. I remember that phrase hitting me deep like a fairy’s magic wand above my head. It felt like connecting pieces of a puzzle. I realised I had a strong desire to become a shoe designer. This is where the magic happened. I felt that I shouldn’t put my dreams on hold and decided with my husband to start our shoe company. There is no right time, sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t. But you have to be brave and start, take the first step and then be ready for the adventure. What prompted you to launch the business? We have taken small steps before launching the business. In 2016 I started creating a moodboard with all the images I have saved over the years and I enrolled onto a footwear