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# 8 African Sneaker Brands Worth Knowing
- URL: https://www.marmaladecollective.com/african-sneaker-brands/
- Published: 2026-09-01T09:00:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-01T09:00:57.000Z
- Description: From Bathu's Johannesburg roots to Keexs's size-48 sneakers, meet 8 African-built sneaker brands turning local leather and craft into homegrown footwear.
- Author: Omotola Saba
- Tags: Guides

For years, the sneaker on an African foot was almost always designed somewhere else, stitched in a factory the wearer would never see, sold back at a markup few could easily afford. That's shifted. Founders across the continent have started building their own supply chains instead: sourcing leather from local tanneries, training craftsmen on-site rather than importing finished stock, funding first production runs out of pocket or through crowdfunding when banks wouldn't. 

Here are eight African sneaker brands you should know.

## Bathu — South Africa

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/DWbPyNRDTD2/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
> 
> [A post shared by Bathu (@bathu\_sa)](https://www.instagram.com/p/DWbPyNRDTD2/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

Founded in 2015 by Theo Baloyi, a former PwC associate from Hammanskraal who left corporate life in Dubai to build it, Bathu takes its name from township slang for "shoes." Baloyi spent 18 months on research and development and was rejected by 13 factories before launching his honeycomb-mesh sneaker, which he first sold door-to-door in Alexandra, Soweto and Midrand. The brand has since grown to more than 30 stores across South Africa and the SADC region, and Baloyi has won GQ's Business Leader of the Year and a spot on the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list.

## Nio Far by Milcos — Senegal

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/DCpJsOZs2d1/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
> 
> [A post shared by Nio Far (@niofarbymilcos)](https://www.instagram.com/p/DCpJsOZs2d1/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

Launched in Dakar in 2014 by designer Milcos Badji, Nio Far turns bògòlanfini, the traditional hand-dyed Malian mud cloth, into handmade sneakers. Each cloth pattern is symbolic, with motifs historically signalling social status, courage or community history, and Badji works exclusively with local craftsmen in Dakar to keep production artisanal and fair-trade. The brand's *Nnéma* collection, meaning "comfort," pairs leather with bògòlan sourced from Mali and Burkina Faso.

## Ethnik by Tunde Owolabi — Nigeria

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRe74Y4iCYl/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
> 
> [A post shared by Ethnik Afrika (@ethnik.afrika)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRe74Y4iCYl/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

Founded in Lagos in 2015 by artist and photographer Tunde Owolabi, Ethnik turns aso oke, a traditional handwoven Yoruba fabric, into sneakers, boots, sandals and bags. Owolabi, who calls himself an "accidental designer," works with traditional aso oke weavers in Ogun State to keep the centuries-old weaving technique alive while making it wearable for a global, style-conscious audience. The brand started with one cobbler and was profiled by CNN in 2016 for its role in reviving Yoruba textile heritage.

## soleRebels — Ethiopia

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/CY6I7nAItbl/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
> 
> [A post shared by soleRebels (@solerebels)](https://www.instagram.com/p/CY6I7nAItbl/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

Founded around 2004–2005 by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu in the Zenebework neighbourhood of Addis Ababa, soleRebels reimagines traditional Ethiopian *selate* and *barabasso* sandals using soles hand-cut from recycled car tyres. Alemu started the company with a bank loan, and it has since become the World Fair Trade Federation's first Fair Trade–certified footwear company, distributing to some 30 countries.

## Ikwetta — Kenya

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/DSy%5FyOdjLpV/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
> 
> [A post shared by ikwetta || handmade in kenya (@ikwetta)](https://www.instagram.com/p/DSy%5FyOdjLpV/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

Ikwetta is a Nairobi-based leather footwear and accessories brand founded by Varsheeni Raghupathy, who took over a struggling vocational training programme and built it into an artisan-led fashion business. Its cork-soled sandals frequently incorporate traditional Maasai beadwork alongside contemporary silhouettes, and the brand sources leather from an LWG-certified tannery. Ikwetta began shipping internationally, including to Italy and the US, in 2020, and works closely with East African craftspeople on locally sourced materials like raffia and handwoven fabric.

## SAWA — Algeria/Ethiopia

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/DWRu8rPCmBh/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
> 
> [A post shared by SAWA (@sawashoes)](https://www.instagram.com/p/DWRu8rPCmBh/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

SAWA was founded in 2009 by Mehdi Slimani, a French designer of Algerian descent, launching first in Douala, Cameroon, where the brand takes its name from the local Sawa people (it also means "together" in Arabic). Corruption and instability pushed the brand to relocate its entire production — sourcing, manufacturing, marketing — to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by 2011, where it remains today. SAWA has collaborated with J.Crew on a special collection and positions itself explicitly as an activist "Made in Africa" project rather than a charity model.

## Enzi Footwear — Ethiopia

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx-dvTfIHbb/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
> 
> [A post shared by N91 Berlin (@n91\_berlin)](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx-dvTfIHbb/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

Enzi was co-founded in 2011 by Jawad Braye and Azariah Mengistu, later joined by Sam Imende and Christian Ward, after Braye visited Mengistu in Ethiopia and the pair discovered the country's abundant supply of premium leather. The Addis Ababa-based brand builds high-end men's leather sneakers and shoes through its own in-house production line, training local craftsmen on-site to meet its quality standards. Enzi now ships to markets across Europe, Asia and the US, positioning itself as a direct counter to outdated perceptions of what "Made in Ethiopia" can mean.

## Enda — Kenya

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcdvEEXlpz2/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
> 
> [A post shared by Enda - Run Kenyan (@endasportswear)](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcdvEEXlpz2/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

Enda, Swahili for "go", was co-founded in Nairobi by Kenyan entrepreneur Navalayo Osembo and British-American social activist Weldon Kennedy, who met around 2015 at a startup pitch event and bonded over the idea that Kenya should benefit more from its global running reputation. Their debut shoe, the Iten, named after the Rift Valley town that has produced many of the world's top distance runners, was funded through a 2016 Kickstarter campaign with more than 1,000 backers. Marketed as Africa's first performance running shoe brand, Enda channels a share of proceeds into community projects across Kenya, including sport-based youth programmes in Nairobi's Korogocho slum.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f2/65/f2656369-0f61-4d65-ad9e-0284e2fdbaca/content/images/2023/06/pexels-gradienta-6984984.jpeg) 

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