Geniune "Manyalera" sandals painstaking imported out of the border village of Chirundu in between Zimbabwe and Zambia! Smuggled, shipped, smuggled, and shipped again, these have gone through a long (and rather expensive journey) to land in the great state of Texas.
Sold locally as Manyalera sandals, they are alternatively identified Ho Chi Minh sandals and Masaai sandals. Constructed using relatively primitive techniques using worn out vehicle tires, they utilize worn tire tread as a thick sole, while providing the wearer with relatively comfort by utilizing the softer side wall of the tire as the toe/heel straps and insoles. Made to be sold cheaply to labourers and subsistence farmers, they are surprisingly durable. Variants of this tire sandal footwear inevitably have inevitably seen "action" with various armed guerillas around the world - after all, a brand spankin' new pair of AR-670-1 compliant boots, is a bit rich for most folks in the world.
Each sandal set bears hallmarks of a past life as an old tire, worn to the absolute bone out in the dirt roads of Africa. They are available in two variants of soles, with
Sole A being hand treaded and
Sole B being an unaltered original tire tread. Each will have it's own character, warts and all. Don't expect Western styled fancy flip-flops, but expect something that will definitely have a story to tell. Absolutely T.I.A.-tier stuff, my brus!
Thanks to the efforts of the late
Kyle Porter in setting up our trade networks in Africa, we're able to source these directly from the Shona family of one of the most decorated former living members of the Selous Scouts. Proceeds of these sandals go directly to supporting members of that family in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
While this product is not exactly military issue, it is still sold under our military surplus policy. They are used tires after all! For more information, please consult our
Shipping and Returns Policy. Sold based on actual measurements, measure the length and widest part of your foot accordingly for the best possible fit!
All prices are in United States Dollars (USD). We ship internationally.
