Michelberger X Sawa
This is the story of a beautiful gift and a very long journey.
One day a man called Mehdi stayed in our hotel. While he was here, he wrote us an email telling us about himself and his shoe company called Sawa which produce the first premium sneakers, 100% made in Africa.
He enjoyed it so much with us that he generously offered us the present of a pair shoes for each one of our staff!
So last Summer we designed our shoes. For inspiration, we thought about the things that connect Africa & Europe… Then in December we travelled to Addis Ababa to see the production.
We spent a week watching the shoes being made and we were very lucky & happy to get to know the wonderful people who made the shoes we’ll be wearing on our feet; hard-working and highly-skilled men and women who take a lot of pride in what they do and do it with a smile. People who became our friends.
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Mt. Amedamit
3296 m -
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Stamps for cutting the leather
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Lake Tana
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Khartoum
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The leather panels are sewn together
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The Nile
Aswan
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Mr. Security
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The girls from the office
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Mehdi and the guys take time out for coffee and draughts
Sahara
Desert -
Coffee ceremony in the canteen
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At the health clinic
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Dahkla Oasis
The shoes begin to take shape
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Western
Desert -
The leather is stretched around the form
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Cairo
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Always wear one!
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Alexandria
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This dude oversees the office
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Now for the soles
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Crete
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Athens
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Lemlem from the Sawa team
Mt. Olympus
2918 m -
Tirana
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Finishing touches
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Final quality control
Sarajevo
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Lake Balaton
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The Danube
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Laced up and ready to be boxed
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Hoher Dachstein
2995 m -
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Vienna
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The designer and his bodyguards
Prague
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Zola from the factory models our shoes
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Dresden
Sorry girls we can’t giveout his number
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Just like the little swallow, these shoes have flown to us in Europe, all the way from Africa.
This shoe is our homage to that brave little bird and the amazing continent they come from.
Handmade in Ethiopia, this classic design, all in leather with a gum sole, features subtle feather detailing and lands with the colours of Summer 2014: white, grey, two-tone blue and red.
And for all those other long-distance travellers out there, these sneakers come with a special in-built navigation system. This ensures you’ll never confuse Right from Left again and won’t get lost while wearing them.
These shoes don’t require batteries.

Michelberger
Navigation
System (MNS)

The Michelberger Schwalbe
from Addis Ababa To Berlin

If you want to get your hands on them, please pass by our reception or go to the online shop at sawashoes.com
Big thanks to Sawa and to all the wonderful people who made our shoes <3!