Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is a woman passionate about leather, especially when its handcrafted by talented artisan craftsmen and women in her home country, Ethiopia. So much so, that Bethlehem, who has achieved great success with her global shoe brand soleRebels, has in 2015 launched a new business, Republic of Leather, which creates bespoke, handcrafted luxury leatherwear for men and women. Given Bethlehem's track record of success as a leading woman entrepreneur we are sure her new venture is headed for great things.
With Republic of Leather, Bethlehem and her team are on a mission to deliver the most incredible bespoke leather wear experience. Once a customer places their order, their bespoke leather wear piece will be hand crafted only for them by an amazing team of talented tailors using the finest luxury leathers and will be delivered to the client's door with in 21 days!
Republic of Leather uses local leather experts, skilled leather artisans and tailors situated at the source for luxury leather - Ethiopia. This means Republic of Leather customers have direct access to the most fantastic leathers on the planet – in fact the very same luxury leathers that high-end global fashion brands use to craft their wares. Bethlehem and her team source and select these leathers at prices and quality levels that no one else can. Then they use these leathers to craft bespoke garments, providing amazing quality and buying experience, all at a sticker price that provides amazing value for money.
Visit the Republic of Leather website here.
More about Bethlehem....
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is founder and Managing Director of soleRebels, the world's fastest-growing African footwear brand and the only Fair Trade-certified footwear company in the world. Growing up in a poor suburb of Addis Ababa, Bethlehem decided that there was only one way to defeat poverty – use local craftsmanship to make products that can compete in the global marketplace. She decided on footwear and today 70,000 pairs of shoes leave her factory every year. soleRebels has been expanding rapidly and today exports to no fewer than 45 countries and is targeting 50 stand alone soleRebels retail stores across the United States by 2018 and 500 worldwide by 2022.
Bethlehem was the first female African entrepreneur to address the Clinton Global Initiative and was named Outstanding African Business Woman by African Business Awards in 2011. In 2014, Bethlehem was named as UN Goodwill Ambassador for Entrepreneurship.