soleRebels

soleRebels is an amazing footwear company founded in 2004 by company founder and managing director Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu in her community of Zenabwork, Ethiopia!

soleRebels began as an idea: that the creation of shoes could be a platform for inspiration hope. By crafting xtraCOOL footwear that gave the person wearing them immense comfort and joy, we create great employment opportunities RIGHT INSIDE OUR OWN COMMUNITY and giving the often ignored a chance to engage in creative endeavors.

Making the world a better place...one step at a time

From our inception we proudly employed and trained the highly marginalized or those thought unemployable. Together we set out to re-imagine the traditional Ethiopian "selate" and "barabasso" shoes (recycled car tire sole shoe pictured to the right) in dynamic + vibrant new fashions.

We aimed to create something that was authentically local but had a truly universal flavor to it and for the past few years we have that and more. All the while we never lose our focus on crafting our wares from the most eco-sensible materials available: a combination of recycled, organic and bio-based materials. Then we make shoes in the most energy efficient manner possible - with our talented hands.