tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36235725280433230742012-02-16T01:45:18.118-08:00SoleRebels is the world’s first producer of Fair-Trade footwear. SoleRebels line of fair-trade footwear utilizes traditional fabrics, made from local, sustainable materials like jute, cotton, and hemp, along with recycled tire rubber for the soles of the shoes. It is locally-owned and operated, and employs over 200 people, directly and through its supply line, in the region of Addis-Ababa, in Ethiopia.soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-20346429066876959242010-12-25T11:24:00.000-08:002010-12-25T11:24:59.420-08:00

By Kelsey Bethlehem Tilahun the founder of SoleRebels the shoe company I profiled in a recent piece for the World Vision Report recently spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative. How cool is that? I believe that SoleRebels is a perfect example of how the apparel industry can be an important tool in lifting people in places like Ethiopia out of poverty. I spent hours with Bethlehem in her

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-20455218855345684272010-12-25T10:41:00.001-08:002010-12-25T11:21:13.193-08:00

President Clinton has invited the founder of soleRebels footwear brand to be one of the panellists at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting on 22 September, in New York City. Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu becomes the first African entrepreneur to be invited in this yearly event. She will join with other top attendees like US First Lady Michelle Obama, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Sinn

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-78105211314293915672010-12-25T10:38:00.000-08:002010-12-25T10:38:31.736-08:00

By Sokari, Black Looks (18th September 2010) - Making shoes from old tyres and other recycled material is not a new idea but Ethiopian social entrepreneur, Bethlehem Tilahun, founder of Sole Rebels, has taken this further to produce 80 different designs in range of colours including turning old army uniforms into shoes. This year the company expects to double its profit from $500,000 to

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-85021927627388254452010-12-25T08:22:00.000-08:002010-12-25T08:22:04.271-08:00

Ethiovision (16th August 2010) - EcoBold, the Silicon Valley-based provider of online video reviews of green and eco-friendly products, has named Sole Rebels, Ethiopia’s environmentally-sensible footwear brand, as winner of its first Annual Green Awards under "Best Shoes" category. According to the company: "The award recipients represent an array of green companies…judged on a series of ‘green

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-3043309197837797672010-12-25T07:06:00.000-08:002010-12-25T07:06:43.839-08:00

Green LA girl (12th March 2010) Shopping for spring sandals? Strap on a classic, stylish pair from soleRebels, a shoe company that’s merging eco-friendly fashion with fair trade business. Would-be ethical consumers in the U.S. like to support green-minded companies with a mission to help less privileged countries — whether it’s through fair trade, community projects, or charitable donations.

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-18136826007084969212010-12-25T06:49:00.000-08:002010-12-25T06:56:22.796-08:00

By Xan Rice in Addis Ababa - The Guardian, (3rd January 2010) Old truck tyres never die, they just turn into sandals. For decades that has been the tradition in Ethiopia, where everyone from farmers to guerrilla fighters has fashioned worn-out road rubber into cheap, long-lasting footwear. Ethiopian entrepreneur Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu checks a pair of sandals at her workshop in Addis Ababa.

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-81360620189201696352010-12-25T06:25:00.000-08:002010-12-25T06:26:42.887-08:00

World Bank Group President Robert Zoellick visits SoleRebels shoe factory on the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. It's founder Bethlehem Tilahun is one of many entrepreneurs helping her country and other African nations overcome the effects of the global financial crisis. 21 April 2010  - World Bank President Robert Zoellick congratulated soleRebels founder Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-59105985705676404872010-12-23T15:47:00.000-08:002010-12-23T15:47:08.762-08:00

Organic cotton and recycled tires are handcrafted into stylish footwear (bottom) while flip-flops (top) are kind to feet and the planet. By Erin Kobayashi The Star (11th September 2009) - Hillary Clinton highlighted an unusual new African export last month during a speech in Kenya. The U.S. Secretary of State mentioned Ethiopian shoes. The next day, in the Ethiopian village of Zenabework,

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-1684297766221122312010-12-23T15:24:00.000-08:002010-12-23T15:29:34.384-08:00

Ethiopian entrepreneur Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu (left) checks a pair of sandals at her workshop in the village of Zenabework, on the outskirts of capital Addis Ababa. With recycled tires and brightly colored fabrics, Bethlehem started her business, SoleRebels, five years ago in Zenabework to help improve living conditions for its residents. Now, her recycled shoes (above) are sold around the

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-13907097514388552152010-12-23T14:05:00.000-08:002010-12-23T15:30:14.733-08:00

soleRebels Shoes from Ethiopia. Greenmuze (06 April2009)  - Just in time for the warmer weather comes stunning and sustainable footwear from Ethiopian soleRebels. The soleRebels Collective makes some of the most stylish and green footwear on the planet. Started by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu several years ago, the company has grown from a small operation to a major employer in an impoverished

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-38256454417752226492010-12-23T13:53:00.000-08:002010-12-23T15:38:30.815-08:00

Founded in 2004 by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, her husband, and her brother, soleRebels marries an age-old recycling tradition with modern design sensibilities to create recycled tire footwear that has changed the face of a community. soleRebels is the brand of Bostex plc, the first registered Ethiopian member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). Bostex stands for “By Ourselves Textiles”- a

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-12029762973749963912010-12-22T17:40:00.000-08:002010-12-22T17:41:10.670-08:00

By Jasmin Malik Chua, Treehugger (21st March 2009) - Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu started SoleRebels with her husband and brother in her native village of Zenabwork, Ethiopia, to fill a pressing need—creating jobs where there were almost none. Today, less than four years later, the footwear company employs 40 full-time workers and 100 part-timers who hand-spin and hand-loom the shoes'

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-74899981951968337282010-12-22T17:18:00.000-08:002010-12-22T17:29:28.446-08:00

Rebels With A Cause By Meghan Cass - (April 20, 2009) Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is the ultimate community organizer. The African entrepreneur founded SoleRebels, a sustainable line of fair-trade, handmade footwear that creates jobs for people from her village in Zenabwork, Ethiopia. “We knew the idea for SoleRebels was sound because folks in our community have many artisan skills,  they simply

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-8156661697909328812010-12-22T17:07:00.000-08:002010-12-22T17:07:24.003-08:00

By SARAH RICH Worldchanging (25th April 07) - In many parts of the world, footwear for everything from domestic work to mountain climbing to construction tends to be a very basic, flat shoe with a canvas upper and a slightly more durable sole. Sherpas wear Keds to hike the Himalayas, Japanese construction workers wear Tabi boots to repair roads in Tokyo. Recently I heard about two young

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By Tseday Alehegn May 19, 2009 - New York (Tadias) – A few months ago we received a note from one of our readers in Ethiopia. “I’m thinking you might enjoy hearing a grassroots perspective on eco ethical fashion from Ethiopia’s 1st IFAT certified fair trade company” it stated. “it is my great pleasure to introduce our firm, soleRebels to you.” We’ve heard of fair trade Ethiopian coffee and

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-47255976098634179092010-12-22T14:57:00.000-08:002010-12-22T15:02:53.928-08:00

10 March 2009 - (Social Enterprise) Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is a graduate of Unity University College and a co-founder and managing director SoleRebels [bostex plc], a footwear apparel company located in her ancestral village of Zenabwork, Ethiopia. I started SoleRebels - an ethical, fair trade shoe brand - with my husband and brother Kirubel to bring jobs to our

soleRebels Footwearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08469201037575749244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623572528043323074.post-86507349085669766392010-12-22T14:47:00.000-08:002010-12-22T15:13:52.018-08:00

By Horizon 21 September 2008  - Even with the second largest population in Africa, reaching the export market is not about trying to make Ethiopian products compete with the Chinese model of high volume and low production. Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, founder, principal and co-managing director of Bostex Plc, makers of soleRebels shoes an apparel, told ACX’s Brian Burrell that  it’s a matter of

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