The story behind one of the most popular footwear brands in the country with a philanthropic twist
A person’s walk through the corridors of their office, the grounds of the football field, their best friend’s wedding, and in the comfort of their homes and all the other areas of their life defines their journey. While people they carry the burden of the world on their shoulders, their shoes carry them. They say, give a person the right shoes and they can rule the world. It was this idea that inspired Shamim Kabir and Tanzeena Anwar Kabir to estabilish Step Footwear. The husband and wife duo firmly believes in making shoes that are just right!
“My wife always told me, shoes are essentials – you spend a lot of time walking through life on your feet. They are not like other articles of fashion that you wear on your body, such as a shirt or jacket. The shoes which you wear every day need to be comfortable. They need to provide you enough support so that you can experience all the important events in your life wearing them,” said Shamim Kabir, Founder and Managing Director of Step Footwear.
This philosophy became the fuel that drove Step Footwear to the path of success and change. Step Footwear saw itself grow from a promotional space at Swapno Lifestyle, to a 60 feet showroom in Sector 6 Uttara, to now having more than 80 retail outlets and 200 counters in Bangladesh. Today, the couple are proud owners of Step Footwear and one of its concern, Periwinkle which was founded by Tanzeena Anwar Kabir and is exclusively designed for kids.
However, what is it that makes Step Footwear so remarkable? Shamim and Tanzeena, when coining the brand name, began to form a vision of brand to become a stepping stone for the youth of Bangladesh.
Tanzeena said, “My husband has always been a man who tries to uplift and motivate people. He did so for me during my journey with Periwinkle. He strongly believes that there are a lot of hungry young individuals in the workforce who deserve a chance to contribute to the economy by creating an impact through our company, Step Footwear. I want to give ample opportunities to these young people to help them learn, work, and make meaningful contributions to our country.”
A majority of the core workforce of Step Footwear consists of young workers with entrepreneurship goals. Shamim and Tanzeena adopted the ‘learn by doing’ policy to train and develop the youth into active contributors to the economy.
“I wanted to introduce a newer method through which we could provide scope for young individuals with little experience to get accustomed to the business, do the work, learn about it, and become financially stable and independent. As a result, I opened a franchise wing of Step and got in touch with young and enthusiastic aspiring entrepreneurs. I taught them how to open a franchise of Step and manage a business of their own!” said Shamim.
Over seven years, Shamim and Tanzeena have traveled far and beyond to ensure that the company keeps innovating and contributes to Bangladesh’s economic prosperity. Their journey, which started with three designs has become one of the most popular brands, though it has not been without challenges. Despite the constraints, they remained focused on the vision of becoming the agents of change for the thousands of youth in the country.