The Rise of Ethiopia’s Sole Rebels

(ADDIS ABABA , Jan 1 2013 (IPS)--Innovative Ethiopian footwear manufacturer Sole Rebels will open its second retail outlet in Taiwan this year. With ambitions to open 30 more franchise stores across the world in countries like the United States, Australia, Italy and Japan, Sole Rebels, the largest African footwear brand, is now fast becoming a global competitive brand.

Ethiopian entrepreneur Bethlehem Tilahun started Sole Rebels in 2005 in order to create jobs and sustainable prosperity in her country. Courtesy: Sole Rebels

The company currently sells its innovative range of artisan shoes made from recycled materials in 55 countries and is now one of Ethiopia’s thriving businesses with a major presence on e-commerce sites such as Amazon. Its success reflects this Horn of Africa nation’s growing footwear-manufacturing industry as Chinese businesses are increasingly investing in the sector here.

Founded in 2005 by Ethiopian entrepreneur Bethlehem Tilahun, who wanted to create jobs and sustainable prosperity in her country, Sole Rebels made two million dollars in sales in 2011 and is expecting to generate over 15 to 20 million dollars in revenue by 2015.

“We are extremely excited to open a Sole Rebels store in the heart of Taichung. Taichung is a footwear epicentre, home to the Asian design centre for the planet’s largest footwear brands,” Bethlehem told IPS.

The new outlet expands the company’s plan to exploit increasing consumer demand in Asia’s mushrooming retail footwear market and makes it the first African consumer brand to open franchise retail outlets in Asia. Read more from IPS News »

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