Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu built a global footwear brand from local materials – her story offers a blueprint for Africa’s industrial future
There was nothing remarkable about the sandals. They were made from discarded truck tyres, hand-spun cotton and leather sourced from Ethiopian tanneries. For generations, they had been worn by farmers, labourers and ordinary people across Ethiopia. They were practical, durable and inexpensive. Nobody imagined they belonged on the shelves of international retailers.
Everyone, that is, except Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu. Fresh out of university in 2005, Alemu looked at those humble sandals – known locally as barabasso or selate – and saw something the rest of the world had overlooked. Ethiopia did not need to export more hides to Europe and Asia only to import expensive finished shoes. It could manufacture its own globally competitive footwear, using its own leather, cotton, artisans and centuries-old craftsmanship.
It was an audacious proposition.
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