Check out the clip below of soleRebels being featured on the French news program, France 24.
"We can show the other people living outside Addis or in a developed country, we're not really sitting and waiting for someone to come in and help us, but we can also contribute as a community"
This interview was for the national broadcaster here in Ethiopia. It was on Friday this week (October 7) and was broadcast live.
On ARHIBU people get to phone in from all over the country and ask questions of the person being interviewed. It was a great opportunity to share what soleRebels have been up to and hear back what people here think about all of it.
There were quite a few calls from aspiring entrepreneurs who wanted some guidance on moving a business forward, which I was very pleased to give!!
Watch the interview in the videos embedded below:
The World Economic Forum has announced that Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, founder and managing director of trailblazing footwear brand soleRebels, will be a featured speaker at this years Annual Meeting of the New Champions.
In 2007 the World Economic Forum established the Annual Meeting of the New Champions [AMNC], held annually in China and alternating between Dalian and Tianjin. The AMNC has since become known as the “Summer Davos”, and provides a platform for emerging, high-growth companies to work alongside already established global companies and top political and academic leaders to identify fresh new ideas and innovative new technologies that will lead to further global growth. This year's AMNC will take place 14-16 September in Dalian, China. Premier Wen Jiabao will deliver the plenary address.
This year's meeting takes place under the theme MASTERING QUALITY GROWTH. An intensive and interactive three-day program will explore the following four elements of this new business matrix:
Bethlehem’s session is titled New Frontiers of Consumption and will examine how consumer priorities are evolving across new economic, demographic and technological frontiers. She will also address the following core issues:
“I am honored and excited to be addressing this forum . It will give me a chance to share what soleRebels has been doing in regards to creating a global footwear brand while simultaneously promoting a very dynamic model of sustainable development. It will also be a great forum to hear what others think of this model and discuss where elements from this model can have meaningful + global impact,” stated Bethlehem.
Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab described Bethlehem’s upcoming speech in the context of the meeting:
“Complexity, interconnectivity and sustainability are emerging as the dominant new realities of the 21st century. A consequence of these realities for industry leaders and policy-makers is the rebalancing of the global economy, which in turn requires recognition of both the qualitative and quantitative measures of growth. To master quality growth at the global level, leaders must discern various policy priorities of multiple government ministries and industry regulators. At the regional level, leaders need to determine the next frontier for growth. At the organizational level, leaders must determine if the entrepreneurial and creative talent is in place to work across all these levels. Bethlehem is extremely well positioned to address all of these interlinking realities in a comprehensive manner, most of all with an authentic voice , one that comes from her experience of having implemented this exact type of vision.”
Notes to editors
We are honored the Africa Awards announced soleRebels as a FEATURED ENTREPRENEUR this week! See what they had to say about soleRebels below:
"The company’s business model, product design, quality and global success has attracted strong interest from international media. The Guardian Newspaper in the UK recently featured soleRebels in an article entitled "Ethiopia firm recycling tyres into shoes does big business via internet" while the web's leading eco-fashion report dubbed the company the "most fabulous eco shoemaker on the planet" and DISCOVERY CHANNEL presenter Summer Rayne Oakes named soleRebels the "world's coolest fair trade brand"."
The Irish Times recently profiled us in their weekend magazine in a great story called BEST FEET FORWARD!
The youth culture website Tunza has just published a feature on soleRebels called 'A step at a time'.
The World Wildlife Fund celebrated their 50th Anniversary on May 1 2011 and they invited soleRebels' founder, Bethlehem, to address their symposium alongside Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Nice!!
More information on the WWF's 50th Anniversary celebration here: soleRebels Founder to Speak at World Wildlife Fund's 50th Anniversary Conference
Check out photos from the event below:
CNN just did a great story on soleRebels entitled Ethiopian footwear fashionista starts a green shoe revolution. Watch the video below:
CNN’s AFRICAN VOICES program profiled us and called soleRebels a game-changing shoe company! Check out the print version of the soleRebels feature at CNN: Ethiopian footwear fashionista starts a green shoe revolution
Watch the feature on soleRebels below:
On seeing the BBC program An African Journey, one reviewer put it as good as we ever could when they wrote:
“Perhaps the most inspirational piece of this episode was a feature on soleRebels, a company that provides jobs for 40 workers, cashing in on the need for recycled and eco products in the West. soleRebels based in Addis Ababa, sells its products online through Amazon and a host of other online outlets. It is a pioneer which gives a tantalising taste and insight into the future of small scale African enterprises once internet connectivity across the continent takes hold.”
soleRebels was just featured in one of Germany's biggest newspapers, Die Welt, in an article titled Trendsetter laufen auf alten Reifen [ TRENDSETTER RUNNING ON OLD TIRES ]
See the full article here: Trendsetter laufen auf alten Reifen