Craftsmen

Meet Orhan

Sabah
Workshop Manager

Orhan is from Gaziantep and used to have his own shoemaking workshop. He joined Sabah two years ago to manage our leather stock. He ensures everything is running smoothly between leather selection and cutting. His older brother, Mehmet, is the head of quality control at the Sabah Atelier. Orhan has three daughters.
Meet Ali

Sabah
Upper Sewing

Ali skillfully sews the upper leathers of every pair of Sabahs. He joined the Sabah atelier three years ago having fled the Syrian civil war in Aleppo for southeast Turkey. He is now taking English lessons and we converse in a mixture of Turkish, English and Arabic. Ali is always smiling as you can see.
Meet Cihan

Sabah
Junior Stitcher

Cihan is 20 years old and from Gaziantep, Turkey. He joined the Sabah Atelier two years ago as an apprentice to our master stitcher. He can now stitch 12 pairs per day. He signs every pair of Sabahs he stitches with a vertical line “|”. His father also works in the Atelier as a stitcher. On the weekends, he plays football (“soccer”) with his friends.
Meet Ali

Sabah
Leather Cutting

Ali cuts the leather for almost every pair of Sabahs we make. He is 44 years old and from Aleppo, Syria. He left Aleppo with his wife five years ago to escape the civil war. He joined the Sabah workshop as he was previously cutting leather in a high heel shoe factory in Aleppo.
Meet Yilmaz

Sabah
Stitcher

Yilmaz is from Gaziantep. He began learning to stitch Sabahs two years ago. He previously was a shoe salesman in Gaziantep’s ancient bazaar selling traditional slippers. He wanted to learn to stitch because he prefers to be an artist and sees stitching as an art. He signs every pair of Sabahs he stitches with a horizontal line “-”.
Meet Erol

Sabah
Control Manager

He is 27 years old and from Gaziantep, Turkey. He is the quality control manager of Sabah production and also handles the packaging, packing and counting of every pair before they leave Gaziantep for New York City. In other words, he keeps us organized and accountable. The consistency and quality of Sabahs has come along way since we started making them three years ago.
Meet Ismael

Sabah
Stitcher

He is 28 years old and from Gaziantep, Turkey. As part of our recruitment effort to grow the workshop, Ismael began to learn the craft of stitching three years ago and is now one of our most proficient stitchers. He also trains the younger generations. In his free time, he loves to play backgammon and soccer with his friends. He is also an avid movie watcher.
Meet Kemal

Sabah
Stitcher

Kemal is 19 years old and from Gaziantep, Turkey. He is the newest member of the Sabah workshop having joined us just after completing high school last year. He is responsible for the detailed cleaning of each pair after it is stitched and is also in-training to become a Sabah stitcher. He is almost ready.
Meet Bulent

Sabah
Lasting

Bulent is responsible for lasting one out of every three pairs of Sabahs produced. Lasting, the process of wrapping the leathers around a plastic form to set the shape of the shoe, is one of the most difficult jobs because it requires a mix of precision and extreme strength. Bulent also loves to cook, especially barbecue.
Meet Atilla

Sabah
Lasting

Atilla has been a shoemaker for over 20 years and has been with Sabah since day one. He is responsible for lasting, the process of wrapping the leathers around a plastic form to set the shape of the shoe. After work, he is a dedicated family man and loves spending time with his wife and children.
Meet Huseyin

Sabah
Lasting

While lasting Sabahs, Huseyin is always cracking jokes in the Sabah workshop. Heís a real comedian. He has been in shoemaking for over 15 years now. In his free time, he plays a lot of backgammon with his friends, enjoys a good Turkish Kebab, and is a big fan of Turkish football.
Meet Mehmet

Sabah
Quality Control

Mehmet is 55 years old and oversees quality control at all stages of production at the Sabah workshop. With over thirty years experience in shoemaking, he joined the Sabah workshop two years ago as we expanded the team and production capacity. Since he joined, the refinement and attention to detail of every pair has increased immensely.