Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu began soleRebels in 2004 as an idea: to bring jobs to the community, Zenabwork , a small community in addis ababa , ethiopia, a place where there literally were none .

soleRebels brand is being sold by major online footwear leaders like Endless, AMAZON.COM and the USA’S #1 sandal retailer FLIP FLOP SHOPS . Furthermore, the shoes are being enjoyed by people in over 10 countries around the world.

The shoes are eco-sensible and handcrafted by local artisans. They are created from recycled car tire soles and an array of recycled and sustainable ingredients like hand spun + hand loomed organic fabrics and a palette of unique natural fibers including organic pure abyssinian jutes and PURE Abyssinian KOBA.

soleRebels has recreated and re-imagined the traditional “selate” and “barabasso” shoes , a recycled car tire soled shoe that has existed in Ethiopia for a LONG time [ in fact it was THE footwear from back in the day when the ORIGINAL “soleRebels” fought off the invading forces and kept Ethiopia as the only African nation to never be colonized!].

Check out the CNN African Voices interview with Ms. Alemu:http://cnn.com/video/?/video/international/2010/06/02/av.beth.alemu.global.brand.bk.b.cnn

Check out http://solerebelsfootwear.weebly.com/