An Oliberté holiday story from Uganda…

Last week I was heading to Ethiopia to visit our team, factories and tanneries. Making a quick stop via Entebbe, Uganda, I was not expecting much of the stopover, as it was only a 5 hour stop in the middle of the night, but something a bit magical happened.

After picking up my bags, as I entered the elevator, I saw an airport worker running for the lift, so I held it for him. He made it in a huff and kindly asked me where I was going. I shared that I was going to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia via Ethiopian Airlines and he said to follow him as he works for that airline. Its 1am at this point, and with nothing to do, I follow. He was genuine and nice but as we’re walking to his office, something about his foot candy looked oddly familiar. To confirm what I already knew at this point, I said, what brand are you wearing and he says “I don’t know but it was a gift recently by the Ethiopian embassy in Uganda for our work in moving cargo for Ethiopian Airlines.”

So I ask him if I can see the inside of his shoe and he quickly looks at my shoes (I was wearing the ADIBO Black Sheep boots) and he says with humble curiosity, “you are the manufacture of these shoes!?!.” So we talk a bit and I tell him about Oliberté, our footwear and our passion to make quality footwear in Africa.

Its interesting that our shoes have become a political gift between African countries. I didn’t have that in mind when I first thought about the impact we would have in making premium boots and sneakers in Africa – but this is amazing. This is Oliberté.

Anyway, Kenneth (pictured above), says he loves the style of the Oliberté boots (though he thought they were safety boots, hence why he is wearing them at the airport) and he went on and on about how comfortable they are and how his girlfriend says they make him look cool-it’s awesome that from New York to Tokyo to Entebbe, the ADIBO chukka is a fan favourite.

Just a nice encounter I thought I’d share sitting in an airport getting ready for the holidays.

Happy Holidays.

This is Africa.
Tal @ Oliberté Footwear

Published by: admin on December 12th, 2010 | Filed under Media, Stories
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Recent Media on the ADIBO Chukka Boot

Check out some of the recent press on our ADIBO Chukka Boots. Some like to call it OBIDO, OBIDA – but all the same – check out the ADIBO at www.oliberte.com/shoes.

Oliberte Obido Chukka Boot @ hypebeast.com
http://hypebeast.com/2010/03/oliberte-obida-chukka-boot/

Oliberté | The Adibo Classic Desert Boot @ Cultureshoq.com
http://cultureshoq.com/oliberte-the-obido-classic-desert-boot/

Oliberté Adibo Chukka @ The Freshman Collective
http://thafreshmen.com/2010/04/oliberte-adibo-chukka/

Oliberté Adibo Desert Boot @ Highsnobiety.com
http://www.highsnobiety.com/news/2010/04/02/oliberte-adibo-desert-boot/

Oliberté – Spring/Summer 2010 Sneakers @ freshness.com
http://www.freshnessmag.com/2010/03/31/oliberte-springsummer-2010-sneakers/

Footwear: Oliberté Adibo @ MarcusTroy.com
http://marcustroy.com/footwear/footwear-oliberte-adibo/

The Oliberte Obida Chukka Boot Helps Build Africa @ TrendHunter.com

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/obida-chukka-boot

OLIBERTE – OBIDO @ RonnieFieg.com

http://www.ronniefieg.com/blog/?p=942#more-942

Published by: admin on April 16th, 2010 | Filed under Media
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Details Post Dragons Den – Pitcher tells all.

Now that it’s aired, we can finally talk about Tal’s pitch in the Den on CBC’s Dragons’ Den.

We taped the show way back in May ‘09 and I was actually pitching for about 40 minutes. A lot has changed since then and what was cut out was that those shoes were just prototypes as we rushed to get the factories to make them in time for filming – our shoes on our site now are our full line to date, quite different and so far, doing well and you can order online at: www.oliberte.com/shoes That said, great experience to pitch in the Den.

About Jeanne Beker, to be honest, I didn’t have a clue who she was. I pretended I did and they cut out a part when I’m talking to Dianne Buckner where I said that I didn’t even know who she was. That said, yes, she was a bit tough on us but in all honesty, she’s not really our target market or has a strong sense of fashion that is not high-end fashion. We’re a bit more contemporary and a a bit out of her fashion-diva comfort. That said, our shoes were not fully launched when we pitched and just prototypes so we can respect her thoughts given what she had in front of her.

All the other dragons were pretty nice too – no complaints. We were really thinking it would come down to Brett and Arlene, but Brett really just wasn’t interested – made sense. Again, I have a lot of respect as given where they were sitting with no sales back in May, it’s a tough sell on the valuation. What they didn’t show was that at the end I’m shaking hands with all of them and Jim and Arlene ask me to get in touch with them after the show. We’ve been talking for a number of months about them possibly investing – it’s a process and we will see what happens. They are both very savy and love the idea behind Oliberté.

About the staff at CBC – just awesome! There are some super talented, highly underpaid superheros bringing great Canadian programming to our TVs. Thanks CBC for the chance and exposure.

In terms of moving forward, we’re getting there – we’re featured at the upcoming grammys, miss america and bet awards. Also, celebrities wearing and support our shoes already including: K’NAAN, Snoop Dog and Kirsten Stewart.

We already have signed European and Australian distribution agreements which is for 10,000 shoes for the next 12-14 months (just to start) and currently we are in about 25+ stores (mainly USA) across North America.

However, no matter the outcome, I’m being positive about the exposure. There were about 3,000 people that tried out across Canada, only 300 get invited to pitch to the dragons and then of those only 100 are shown on TV and about 75% of those have full segments as we did.

So yeah, again, wish I went on the show with our current line when we were in full production and not development, with all the sales and contracts we do have now. Oh well, that’s life. Luckily, still going strong and your continuing support has been key.

Pride. Power. Liberty. This is Africa.
Visit us at: www.oliberte.com

Published by: admin on January 6th, 2010 | Filed under Media
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Behind the Scenes in Ethiopia

Check out our first first with footage from production in Ethiopia.

Music is K’NAAN’s “Waving Flag” which is the official song of Coca Cola’s FIFA World Cup 2010 Sponsorship.
Check K’NAAN and his music at: http://knaanmusic.ning.com/

Published by: admin on January 6th, 2010 | Filed under Factories in Ethiopia, Media
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Oliberté Footwear on CBC’s Dragons’ Den – January 6th @ 8:00pm

Published by: admin on December 15th, 2009 | Filed under Media
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Oliberté in The Pure Indulgence

“Oliberté eco ethical urban footwear from Africa”

Check it out: http://www.thepureindulgence.com/index.php/2009/09/oliberte-eco-ethical-urban-footwear-from-africa/

Thanks to raising awareness and pressure generated by the recent Greenpeace report entitled Slaughtering the Amazon, the footwear brands Nike, Adidas, Clarks and Timberland have all agreed to stop sourcing leather from areas of deforestation in the Amazon caused by intensive cattle farming. However, some of the manufacturing processes and ethics of those companies are still highly questionable, which makes their products an undesirable purchase even before you take into account their dubious fashion credentials.

Oliberté urban footwear, with their exemplary production ethics, sustainable materials sourcing and contemporary styling is a positive alternative to those big brand shoe companies. Here’s what they have to say about themselves…

“Oliberté is the first to market premium urban-casual footwear made in Africa. With every pair of Oliberté you buy, you make a powerful statement that Africa is proud, free and full of potential. You do this all while being a hero, because you are the reason men and women from Liberia to Swaziland to Ethiopia have a job, have food on the table and can send their children to school. Oliberté is not a charity, it is a company that believes you can change how the world views Africa and help build lives when you buy a pair of Oliberté shoes.”

• premium Ethiopian leather is strong, light and from traditionally farmed livestock
• the first footwear to be made using durable naturally processed Liberian rubber
• farmers, factory workers and suppliers are ensured fair pay and treated responsibly
• partnerships with factories to reduce carbon footprint and environmental impact
• providing local training and community development in every country we work

Oliberté are so new that there are just two styles in their range so far, but they both come in a wide choice of colours. The ladies Elika shoe is pictured above in the top row and the Men’s Rovia shoe in the bottom row. Currently they are only available at selected stores across Canada and the USA or online from their Canadian outlet (with the option of international shipping) but they are hoping to secure distributors in other regions very soon. We will update this article with any further news when we get it.

Cattle ranching is the biggest driver of Amazon rainforest destruction and contributes to make Brazil the fourth largest climate polluter in the world.

Published by: admin on September 26th, 2009 | Filed under Media
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Oliberté – In the blogsphere

Oliberté Springwise.com gave us a nice post today! Check it out:
http://springwise.com/fashion_beauty/oliberte/

Amid all the many charity-focused efforts to help the people of developing African nations, others strive to provide economic empowerment and help African entrepreneurs establish sustainable businesses. We’ve covered several of these—including some of the microfinance initiatives that have popped up—but Canadian shoe company Oliberté is taking a different approach by sourcing and setting up its manufacturing operations in Africa instead.

Oliberté makes and sells what it says is the first line of footwear to be made from natural rubber in Liberia. Two styles of lightweight shoes are currently available: Elika for women, and Rovia for men. Both feature a rubber sole crafted naturally and fairly in Liberia along with premium goat and cow leather sewn in Ethiopia. Elika is priced at CAD 106, while Rovia is CAD 115. Oliberté ensures that farmers, factory workers and suppliers are all paid fairly and treated responsibly, and it supports local training and communities in every country it works in. It’s also working in partnership with factories to improve its environmental footprint, it says. Toward that end, Oliberté even promises to take its shoes back at the end of their useful life, with plans to recycle and make them new again.

The company’s website explains: “Africa is more than just poverty and Oliberté is the start of a revolution that shows, through urban footwear, this is the real Africa! With every pair of Oliberté bought, we are making a powerful statement that Africa is proud, free and full of potential. You do this all while being a hero, because you are the reason men and women from Liberia to Swaziland to Ethiopia have a job, have food on the table and can send their children to school. Oliberté is not a charity—it is a company that believes you can change how the world views Africa and help build lives every time you buy a pair of Oliberté shoes.”

Oliberté’s shoes are available both online and through select stores in the US and Canada. Retailers: one to offer up to your own ethical consumers…? (Related: Shoes for good — Coffee life stories — Yak down: luxury yarn with a story and a cause.)

Published by: admin on September 26th, 2009 | Filed under Media
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Celebrities at TIFF and Oliberté Shoes

Oliberté is proud to be the only shoe company working with CBC’s THE HOUR. Celebrities visiting during the Toronto Film Festival over the last week have been walking in and out of the CBC studio checking out lots of goods, including Oliberté and picking themselves up a pair.

SWAG LOUNGE @ CBC’s THE HOUR: TIFF

Published by: admin on September 16th, 2009 | Filed under Media
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Oliberté Gives Aid to Africa

by BARBARA SCHNEIDER-LEVY

Posted THURSDAY AUGUST 13, 2009

From Footwear News

Entreprenuer Tal Dehtiar, president of newly launched Oliberté, is reaching out to impoverished communities in Africa with a line of footwear produced on the continent.

Dehtiar, who formerly ran MBAs Without Borders, a charitable organization that helped build small businesses around the world, is continuing his humanitarian work, this time by helping develop the footwear and components industries in Liberia and Ethiopia. Tapping into the resources and craftsmanship available in these countries, Dehtiar has developed a line of men’s and women’s urban-casuals, set to hit stores in October.

By bringing work to these nations, he said he hopes to raise the standard of living for its citizens through employment opportunities. “It’s not about charity,” said Dehtiar, “but creating jobs and building a middle class.” In addition, he plans to use the company’s production muscle to encourage fair business practices between factories and employees. “We’re going to put pressure on factories to meet certain standards,” said Dehtiar. “It’s about raising the bar for factories and how they treat workers.”

Targeted at fashion stores with a social consciousness, the collection retails for $60 to $100 for men’s and $55 to $100 for women’s. The shoes are also available on the Oakville, Ontario-based company’s Website, Oliberte.com.

http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/oliberte-gives-aid-to-africa-2237750

Published by: admin on August 13th, 2009 | Filed under Media
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Oliberté vs. Kanye West

Maggie Wrobel

From Saturday’s Globe and MailFriday, Jul. 31, 2009 03:10PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/madonna-opening-ceremony-olibert-footwear/article1237965/

While Kanye West’s new sneakers for Louis Vuitton may look great, they have little claim to fame other than their famous designer (and sky-high price).

Canada’s Oliberté Footwear, however, has a lot more to boast about. The company’s new offshoot is the first international footwear producer to work exclusively in Africa.

Starting in January, all the rubber for the soles of the kicks will made from Liberian rubber-tree milk and the shoes themselves will be made in Ethiopia, creating local jobs.

Founder Tal Dehtiar says the new initiative is meant to draw attention to the continent’s “pride, power and liberty.” Sniff. That should bring a tear to Kanye’s eye – even if it’s just one of envy.

Published by: admin on August 1st, 2009 | Filed under Media
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