Where the Blazes Have You Been?

"Attention all passengers this is your final boarding call...we are closing the gate at this time..."

And so it was, my friends, that the cruel hand of fate forced me to close the laptop lid on my nearly completed See You Soon post and scamper off into a glorious month of Africa, beginning a new school year, and a general absence during the day for things such as breathing.  I can honestly say that words fail to express how much I've missed you all--and yet, I hope that our reunion has found you well and in good style.  I assure you, my time away from this blog (Dear Lord, over a month) has provided me with wonderful new friendships with some truly amazing people both on this continent and the one that holds my heart.

But lest we waste the precious time we now have together with mushy ramblings, let's dive right back into our regularly-scheduled style happenings with an introduction to perhaps one of the most incredible brands I've ever had the privilege of owning--one I just happened to find, of all places, in Ethiopia:

Allow me to introduce you to the shoes I've been unable to take off since landing in the U.S. a few weeks ago, soleRebels--the world's only actual fair trade shoe company (sorry TOMS) artisan crafted in Ethiopia.  What you see here is a style masterpiece crafted from 100% recycled and local materials and founded on the principal of creating jobs and economic influx within a local African community.  Employees of the company are paid an average of 250% more than their peers working for similar western companies and are now shipping their products to over 30 countries around the globe.  Not to mention, they're insanely comfortable and guaranteed to turn heads once the traditional Ethiopian tire tread soles catches the eye of a fellow passing pedestrian.

You can check out more information about their mission and browse through the remarkably gigantic collection of super cool kicks at their website HERE.  And be sure to rub all the info you gather in the face of some pompous, Save the Mosquitoes TOMS hipster before you strut away in absolute and total humanitarian superiority.

(Ok, for the record I love TOMS too, just not most of the people who wear them)

Thank you all so much for reading!  Some great things coming soon so stay tuned. 

Cheers,