Amina Means grew up in a family of fashion. Her great-grandmother made African beads for brides, special occasions, and weddings, and her mother is a fashion designer. Ms. Means started emulating her mother by designing and altering clothes, breaking them apart just so she could put them back together. Growing up she was very shy and introverted, but her discovery of high heels boosted her confidence. But after spraining her ankle, she couldn’t wear heels for three years. During this time, she started dreaming of unique, trend-defining, sustainable heels that didn’t sacrificing comfort, a gap she saw in the foodwear industry. This passion and curiosity led to her involvement in footwear design and components. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in communication, she earned an M.B.A. in business to help build systems around her passion for shoes and entrepreneurship. Ms. Means researched with artisans and consultated with factories to learn more about footwear production, not sure just the beauty of it but also the technical specifications involved in manufacturing quality shoes. She founded Nalebe in 2018 with one goal in mind, to “infuse comfort with style in a sustainable manner”. She wanted to empower women to feel confident, and she had just one thing in her hands – shoes.