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The story of Sabah shoes goes something like this: Man graduates from Wharton, gets a job with Microsoft. Job places him in Turkey for a few months. Man dates a girl. Girl's grandmother gives him a pair of traditional Turkish hand-stitched leather slippers. Man returns to the states and wears slippers everywhere, which evokes dozens of "Where'd you get those?!" responses. Man gets an idea and heads back to the bazaars of Turkey to create a modern, westernized version of the slipper with a rounded toe (the original is pointed), rubber soles for durability, and a slate of neutral and jewel-toned colors. Sabahis born, and the journey continues in Miami.
While they may seem delicate (don't most foreign goods?), Sabahs are sturdy andincredibly comfortable because at the core these are travel shoes, built to withstand whatever adventure may come your way. That being said, the brand has deemed its latest collection "Classic Miami Summer," with four pastel-hued shoes in bubblegum pink, sea foam green, tulip yellow, and Easter egg blue meant to mirror Miami's iconic Art Deco buildings.
"I've always been attracted to nostalgic travel and old hotels, and the way it was," says Mickey Ashmore, formally known as The Sabah Dealer, or the storied man above. "All throughout The Great Railway Bazaar has been my favorite book. Whenever I look at a city and I think about colors, I google the travel posters from that city, and if you google 'Miami vintage travel posters,' you see a lot of these colors."
For a pair of shoes built with traveling in mind, it's surprising that this happens to be Sabah's first full release inspired by a destination. But that may not even be the most perplexing, nor the most interesting, part. No, what's most interesting is Sabah's business model– you can't buy these $190 shoes online. You can't even buy them in a store. You need to send a note to Ashmore himself and, if you're lucky, this handsome dealer (trust us, it's true) might just deliver these handmade pastel wonders right to your doorstep. How's that for good customer service?