Oliberté, the first premium footwear company based in Africa, was founded in 2009 by Canadian Tal Dehtiar. Tal is a multiple award winning entrepreneur who has worked on many international projects that have helped to build small and social businesses in over 25 developing countries. Oliberté partners with factories, suppliers, farmers and workers to produced the shoes and contribute to the development of industry. Ethiopia, Liberia and Keyna are the countries Oliberté currently operates but there are plans to expand too Cameroon, Congo, Uganda and Zambia in the coming years. Business is booming and the last two years sales have risen from a meager 200 pairs to over 10,000 projected in 2011.

I heard about Oliberté shortly after they launched and l’ve been quietly following their progress over the years. I’m glad to see the styles are becoming more sophisticated and stylish. Currently, Tal is focusing on developing the men’s collection to be more sophisticated and stylish. The women’s revamp is expected for the spring 2012 season. The Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 collection features desert boots, deck shoes and high tops in various leather finishes like nubuck and suede. Colours for the season include green, yellow, navy blue, black, grey, tan and brown. Oliberté shoes are made from 100% natural leather and rubber crepe soles. Each shoe averages over 1000 hand stitches. This makes the shoes less reliant on glue and provides more of an emphasis on craftsmanship.

Oliberté is available online Oliberté.com and in Toronto at Town Shoes, Little Burgundy and Locale.

See all the photos from the Olibert̩ Footwear Fall Winter 2011 Р2012 preview.