Winston Udeagha, the 33-year-old Nigerian business executive, is on a mission to transform the leather industry in Africa. As COO to one of Nigeria’s leading leather companies, God’s Little Tannery and founder of its affiliate company and fashion brand Winston Leather, he’s using educational storytelling and social media to champion his country’s rich leather industry. “I’m trying to teach people about the quality of Nigerian leather,” Winston declares. “And making made in Africa products helps to shift perceptions”.
Based in the Kano region of Nigeria, God’s Little Tannery was founded over three decades ago by Winston’s father, Koffy Ndubuisi Udeagha and has been quietly transforming leather production with the help of its partners in Italy. The company is distinguished for supplying its homegrown hides across Africa, Europe, and America, where it’s been used to make leather goods for some of your favourite luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren.
YLA: Can you share the story of how Winston Leather and God’s Little Tannery were founded?
Winston: Winston Leather was launched in 2019, and God’s Little Tannery is a manufacturing company that has been making leather for over thirty years. It’s a family business that was started by my father.
YLA: What values were instilled in the beginning that still guide operations today?
Winston: Hard work. My dad is a very hardworking man. He founded God’s Little Tannery and had a couple of his brothers work with him over the years. When I came back from studying business and economics in England and joined the family business, that was one of the first things that stood out: how many hours these people were putting in.
YLA: How would you say the leather industry has evolved?
Winston: Globally, there’s a move towards sustainability. For us, we’ve had to stop using some techniques to align with sustainability practices and these new global standards.
There’s also an increase in Nigerian brands making finished products here in Nigeria. I feel like as that continues to grow, African fashion will get greater recognition worldwide.
YLA: What motivated you to launch Winston Leather?
Winston: We’ve been exporting very important raw materials to the rest of the world, and yet we barely get enough value here in Africa. So, the people who sell the finished product made with African raw materials make more than the Africans who own the raw material. When I joined the business, my core mission was to make finished products in Africa and export them as opposed to just offering raw materials.
YLA: Fashion suppliers often operate behind the scenes, remaining largely anonymous. What inspired your decision to step into the spotlight, actively engaging online and in the media to share your role as a supplier?
Winston: I lived in Italy for a while and was amazed by the wealthy lifestyle and how raw materials from the continent contributed to their industry. That income and living wage disparity inspired me to do things differently.
YLA: What does luxury mean to you?
Winston: Luxury for me is more than just an expensive price point. It’s something that’s hard to replicate and takes time to make. It’s about expression.
YLA: Moving forward, what’s your vision for the future?
Winston: Africa is rising to the challenge of competing globally, and we are happy to be at the forefront of that. We want to take the story of Nigerian leather and African creativity to the world.
