The initial motto was: “making the world a better place”. Thus the story of Sole Rebels began in 2004 when the brand was founded on the idea of a fair trade venture by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu. Bethlehem is a young Ethiopian graduate whose project was to provide jobs for the community of Zenabwork, an historical village 15 minutes away from Addis Abeba, where her family came from originally. Bethlehem’s plan was, with the support of her husband and brother, to start up a footwear production that could become a source of development and of hope. Step by step the project got on its feet and in just five years Sole Rebels has grown into a fair trade and eco-sustainable brand to all effects, which now exports to various parts of the world and provides jobs for over a hundred people.

The footwear, strappy sandals and flip-flops, is original and very comfortable. Traditional and typical Ethiopian models have been updated with innovative patterns, colors and attractive designs. The materials used are organic cottons handmade by local craftspeople, and vegetable-tanned leathers. The soles are made from old rubber tyres that guarantee durability. What distinguishes Sole Rebels is that it is green by tradition, not for marketing reasons.

Roots, culture and tyres are three words that for the enterprising Bethlehem synthesize the concept of Sole Rebels, the first firm to be accredited by the International Fair Trade Foundation, an organization that imposes very strict standards on its members regarding wages, working conditions, protection of workers’ health and of the environment.