Recently profiled by both CNN and Forbes as an important businesswoman to watch, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is quite the success story. While growing up in the small Ethiopian town of Zenabwork, Alemu remembers waiting for a better life to develop for her friends and family, before realizing that she would have to create the reality that she wanted to see. And so, in 2004, she created soleRebels.

SoleRebels is a Fair Trade shoe company that harnesses the artisan skills and recycling habits inherent in Zenabwork’s culture. The company employs locals and pays four to five times the legal minimum wage and over three times the industry average, allowing workers to earn a respectable income and support their families. Workers are paid a straight wage without regard to individual quotas. Most workers live within walking distance of the factory, but transportation is provided for disabled workers who can’t make the trek. Workers and their families are also provided with complete medical coverage, including site visits by board-certified practitioners. Such site visits are especially important considering that competent doctors can be few and far between in Ethiopia.

The company’s original shoe design was based on the traditional selate and barabosso shoes made from recycled tires. In a poignant nod to Ethiopian history, these were the same shoes worn by rebel fighters who opposed colonization by westerners, and who helped make Ethiopia one of only two African countries never to be colonized. This is incredibly consistent with soleRebel’s mission, which is largely based on the need for more African start-up companies that fuel economic growth and independence, rather than NGOs and charity organizations that often do more harm than good.

Currently, their market has expanded considerably. The company now makes numerous different types of shoes, including tooTOOs (similar to TOMs), lace-ups, sandals, slip-ons and coZEEs (similar to UGGs). They even have a line of vegan footwear called b*knd. Their products are sold online and in 30 countries worldwide.

Although their production has increased substantially, almost all products are still made and sourced locally. For example, every piece of fabric used in the making of soleRebel’s shoes is hand-loomed using traditional eucalyptus looms. This process preserves an ancient craft, cuts down on electricity bills, produces absolutely no carbon output and creates beautifully unique fabrics. And the company still uses hand-cut recycled tires for the soles of every shoe, preserving tradition and saving the environment in one fell swoop.

SoleRebels is a great example of poverty fighting done right. This shoe company continues to empower countless numbers of people, who use their talents and preserve their traditions to stake their claim in the world market. Locally and fairly sourced products, combined with beautiful craftsmanship and entrepreneurial know-how, create some great-looking shoes that will leave you feeling even better.

– Katie Fullerton

Sources: soleRebels, Forbes, CNN
Photo: INSP