The Best Ethical Shoes for Men and Women- Oliberté Review

As a lover of sustainable, ethical fashion, I'm always on the lookout for brands that can help change the world. I recently discovered Oliberté , an amazing footwear company that sells handmade footwear from Ethiopia. This is quite unique, because I've never come across a footwear brand that makes it's shoes from Ethiopia- one of Africa's most unique country. 

A bit about the brand- Oliberté is a sustainable brand supporting workers’ rights in sub-Saharan Africa. The brand  believes in empowerment, transparency, and doing right by all. This means that they make high-quality products which comes with a lifetime warranty- if you ever have a problem, they will fix it. The brand started off in 2009 as a small footwear company partnering with factories and suppliers in Africa. Since then, they gained enough momentum to launch their own factory in 2012. Every pair of shoes is made in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Oliberté also became the world’s first Fair Trade Certified footwear manufacturing factory in 2013. 

I recently got this gorgeous pair of Moojoo x McNairy Black Suede With Jagged Outsole boots- these shoes are designed by Mark McNairy, and are made from fine, premium-quality suede leather. In fact, I was really surprised when I opened the parcel, because these shoes feels softer and less bulky than I thought. Usually, boots are quite hard and difficult to break into, but these boots are extra soft, easy to walk in and looks fantastic with anything. Seriously, the leather quality is amazing- it's soft, supple and includes stitchings along the base and top. Talk about high quality! 

The shoes came beautifully wrapped and I was very excited to see what's in the box. Imagine my surprise when I unwrapped the package and saw these beautiful leather boots. Everything about these handmade leather shoes is perfect. In terms of the design, the boots are beautifully designed with gorgeous detailing on the upper, and it is fully lined on the inside in comfortable, breathable material.

I love the design at the front of the boots- there are lovely panels that cover the front, which gives it an extra stylish vibe I really like how the laces matches the boot's black exterior and the fact that everything is black makes the design look luxurious, expensive and beautiful. The only little thing is that these boots are quite soft indeed, so it sometimes might look flat if it's left on it's own. Make sure you don't wear it in heavy rain and it's all good!

I also love the round toes and ridged base layer of these men's boots- they look like they're suitable for walking and travelling, but without looking too much like a pair of hiking boots. In fact, these lovely boots are made from suede, which gives it a lovely, non-shiny texture and it looks even better in real life than in photos! The boots are not narrow at the top, so it's great for people with wider feet like me. Imagine the comfort when walking around in shoes that actually fit!

In terms of the quality, this pair of boots is pretty impressive. It is made with fine and smooth suede leather and the shoe feels really soft to touch. The shoe is extremely well-made, with a strong stitching along the base to hold everything together. The outer material is cut to perfection and I'm really impressed with the quality of the piece. In fact, I'm pretty sure this is one of their more exquisite shoes. Oliberte sells a lot of leather shoes, including deck shoes, trainers and boots- but their boots are definitely their signature styles

Check out this video of how their shoes are made!

Visit Oliberté and let me know what you think!