"I didn't start with money, a team, or a business plan. I started with conviction — and the belief that something great could be built from nothing, if you were willing to work for it."
— Karimat Shutti, Founder & CEO
Chapter One
A Student with a Vision
It began in 2018, in Ilorin, Nigeria. Karimat was in her 300 level as a Biochemistry student — disciplined, ambitious, and acutely aware that time was a resource not to be wasted. When she found herself with savings in hand, she made a deliberate decision: she would invest them, not spend them.
A trusted friend introduced her to the world of handmade shoes. She saw the quality. She saw the potential. And she saw something most people miss — a gap between what was being made in Nigeria and what the world called luxury.
With no storefront, no team, and no advertising budget, she began where she was. WhatsApp broadcasts to friends, family, and her university network. One conversation at a time. One order at a time. GOLDKRIMS was not launched — it was grown.
Chapter Two
The Weight of Early Challenges
Early customers loved the quality of her products — but they pushed back on price. Operating as a reseller left Karimat with thin margins and little room to manoeuvre. The product was right. The model needed work.
She found a bulk production partner, which brought costs down. But a new problem emerged: consistency. Some batches were exceptional. Others were not. And Karimat refused to put her name behind anything she couldn't stand behind fully.
Then, without warning, her primary production contact — an NDA officer who had been central to her supply network — passed away in service. In a single moment, the entire production infrastructure she had built her business on was gone.
Chapter Three
She Decided to Learn the Craft Herself
COVID-19 had slowed the world to a halt. For many, it was a season of waiting. For Karimat, it was a season of transformation. With her supply chain destroyed and the market frozen, she made the most consequential decision of her entrepreneurial life:
"If no one can make it the way I need it made — I will learn to make it myself."
She found a small workshop and began training — hands in the leather, learning every cut, every stitch, every construction method from the inside out. Her background in tailoring gave her an advantage; she already understood fabric, fit, and structure. Shoemaking became the next chapter of her craft education.
All of this happened in her 400 level — while simultaneously managing her biochemistry final project and departmental seminars. She studied during the week and stitched shoes at the weekend. She slept less. She learned more. She did not stop.
Chapter Four
Abuja, NYSC, and Building in Parallel
After graduating, Karimat returned briefly to Côte d'Ivoire — where her family was based — before coming back to Nigeria for her National Youth Service in Abuja in 2021. She was deployed to a medical equipment company, working in administration and sales.
It was more than a posting. It was a masterclass in professional business operations — managing clients, closing deals, understanding logistics, and developing the commercial instincts that would later define GOLDKRIMS as a brand.
But she never stopped building. On weekdays she served in the office. On weekends, she was at the workshop. She identified a production partner in Durumi, Abuja, and began acquiring her own equipment, piece by piece. Every salary was reinvested. Every free hour was productive.
The Journey
GOLDKRIMS Timeline
2018
A Seed is Planted
As a 300-level Biochemistry student in Ilorin, Karimat made a deliberate choice: to invest her savings wisely rather than spend them. Through a trusted friend, she discovered the world of handmade shoes — and everything changed.
2019
The First Broadcasts
With no storefront and no advertising budget, Karimat took to WhatsApp. She broadcast her curated shoe selections to friends, family, and her university network. Orders began trickling in, one message at a time.
2020
Crisis, Loss & Reinvention
A devastating blow: her primary production contact passed away unexpectedly, taking the entire supply network with him. Then COVID-19 brought the world to a halt. Most would have stopped. Karimat started again — this time, by learning to make shoes herself.
2021
Trained Hands, Renewed Purpose
In a small workshop, while simultaneously completing her final year of university — managing her biochemistry project and seminars — Karimat learned shoemaking from the ground up. Her tailoring background accelerated her learning. Slippers, heels, full shoes. She built it all herself.
2022
NYSC & Business Acumen
Deployed to Abuja for her National Youth Service, Karimat worked in a medical equipment company in an admin and sales role. She absorbed everything — business operations, client management, professional sales. By day, she served. By evening and weekends, she built.
2023
Roots in Abuja
After NYSC, Karimat chose to stay. She identified a production partner in Durumi, Abuja, and began balancing weekday professional work with weekend production. Piece by piece, she acquired her own equipment, building the infrastructure of a real brand.
2024
GOLDKRIMS: A Legacy in the Making
Today, GOLDKRIMS COLLECTIONS serves thousands of clients across Nigeria and beyond. Every shoe, every bag, every garment is the product of a woman who refused to let any obstacle be the final word.
The Philosophy
What GOLDKRIMS Was Built On
Uncompromising Quality
Every piece that bears the GOLDKRIMS name has been inspected, refined, and held to the highest standard. We do not rush craft.
Radical Authenticity
We do not imitate. We originate. Every design, every material choice, every finish reflects a genuinely African perspective on global luxury.
Resilience as a Foundation
This brand was not built in a boardroom — it was built through setbacks, sleepless nights, and an unshakeable refusal to quit.
Customer at the Centre
Every complaint we ever received shaped a better product. Our customers are not just buyers — they are the reason we keep raising the bar.
A Message From Karimat
"To every single person who has supported GOLDKRIMS — whether you placed your first order in 2018 or you found us yesterday — you are the reason this brand exists.
You trusted me when I was a student promoting shoes on WhatsApp. You trusted me when I lost my supplier and had to start again. You trusted me when I picked up the tools and learned this craft by hand. That trust is not something I take lightly — it is something I wake up every morning determined to be worthy of.
Every piece we make carries the weight of that journey. The late nights, the losses, the lessons — they all live in the leather, the stitching, and the finish of every GOLDKRIMS product.
We are not perfect, but we are relentlessly committed to getting better. And I promise you this: as long as GOLDKRIMS exists, we will never stop striving for excellence."
Karimat Shutti
Founder & CEO, GOLDKRIMS COLLECTIONS