Sawa are the first 100% African made sneaker brand- Constructing its sneakers from materials found across the continent: organic cotton canvas from Cameroon, leather from Nigeria, laces from Tunisia, rubber from Egypt and packaging from South Africa. Sawa footwear is a story about people and a story about a challenging economy- as they put it themselves “We don’t promise to donate part of our income to some charity association for each pair of shoes purchased, nor to build a pipeline towards Manhattan. Our shoes are made in Africa and will be made in Africa as far as you will enjoy wearing them. This is the only promise we make.”
In 2010 Sawa set out to create a shoe sourced and manufactured in Africa from start to finish. The Dr. Bess—named for one of the founders, Yves Bessala, whose habit of wearing a white lab coat earned him the nickname “the doctor”—is a lightweight low-profile tennis shoe ruggedly built out of canvas, leather and suede. A simple, elegant sneaker that stands out because of its simplicity.
Sawa sneakers are built to last, look great, are practical, and most importantly have a story to tell- a story that sets them apart from all other sneaker manufacturers on the market. We can see good things for Sawa in the future- and we look forward to keeping you up to date.
Also available in the mid cut Tsagué range. Please visit Sawashoes.com for a limited list of stockists.
