I never could have imagined what life had in store for me when I started my career in journalism in 2011. My job consisted of creating news content about Jordan for TV viewers around the world. Every day was an adventure meeting people from all walks of life and being exposed to every issue under the sun.
I often visited underprivileged communities and refugee camps when covering stories about the socio-economic challenges in Jordan. In early 2018, I met a lady who shared her financial struggles with me. I noticed that she was very talented at traditional embroidery, but she was not utilizing this skill to generate income. I wanted to help; I just did not know how.
In late 2018, during a trip to Dubai, I fell in love with a pair of shoes at the mall but they were excessivley overpriced. I couldn’t get them out of my head but wouldn’t spend 700$ on a pair of shoes either. I sketched them in every corner of my notebook in the middle of a press conference and even started to fold papers to make them look like a shoe. I was so obsessed that I cut cereal and tissue boxes to replicate this shoe. I had no end goal doing this, it was merely an obsession with a shoe I saw in Dubai once upon a time.
Shoe collages accumulated on my living room table. My friends would come over and say: “If this were a real shoe, I’d totally buy it.” I heard this often, but I never took it seriously. I mean, they looked like a child made them.
My friends persisted and circulated pictures among themselves. Suddenly, my “Aha moment”! If people want these shoes so badly and I know a lady with artistic skills who needs an opportunity to generate income from her embroidery, why not have her, and others like her, stitch on shoes? I could sell them to my friends, giving them the shoes they love, and help these artisans generate income. Two birds, one stone.
A fire was lit under me! I started researching shoe manufacturers in Jordan. Not knowing where to start, I called over 100 numbers I found online and visited over 20 workshops. They all rejected my idea, until I found Maher. He helped me create a prototype and agreed to make 4 pairs for me. I started with only 4 pairs. I sold them to my friends, but then their friends started asking for them. And so, Gioia was born.
Farah Ajlouni
Founder
