Enzi Footwear

by Azariah Mengistu and Jawad Braye, since 2014

In 2014, Azariah Mengistu and Jawad Braye founded ENZI, the first premium brand for handmade sneakers from Africa. The two creators work according to fairtrade standards and pursue a personal goal with their philosophy and way of working. The unisex models are traditionally handmade in the company’s own manufactory in Addis Ababa – from Ethiopian leather. With a lot of cheap manufacture moving to the continent, due to wages rising in China, they want to show that it is possible to make premium products in Africa and pay workers a fair living wage.

„Our team are highly skilled artisans and we want to showcase that skill. Our Slogan is ‚Africas finest‘ .“

JAWAD BRAYE

Jawad Braye explains: „We want people to think of East Africa as a hub for quality products and not just mass produced cheap stuff. Africa has always been known for artisanal detailed quality work from the intricate beading of the Masaii to the detailed artwork from the Ndebele people of southern Africa to name only a few.
Our team are highly skilled artisans and we want to showcase that skill. Our Slogan is ‚Africas finest‘ .
For centuries Africa has had its raw materials stolen with no credit for Africa. For example what is known as Italian leather for a long time was actually Ethopian leather that was exported and finished in Italy and called ‚Italian leather‘. Our products are made from Africas finest materials with fair compensation going to the people of that region.“

IMAGE CREDITS | ENZI FOOTWEAR