Sabah

What Sabah does

Sabah is a privately held, bootstrapped handmade leather footwear and accessories brand founded in 2013 by Mickey Ashmore in New York City. The company designs, produces, and sells a core range of leather shoes including the classic Sabah slip-on, the backless Baba, the elevated Bolo, the Alto Boot, and the Lido and Porto sandals, alongside a curated accessories line of peshtemals, backgammon boards, bandanas, belts, socks, hats, wallets, fragrances, and candles. Manufacturing is anchored by a workshop in Gaziantep, Turkey employing nearly 70 craftspeople using traditional hand-stitched construction with full-grain and vegetable-tanned leathers, complemented by a newer El Paso, Texas workshop of 12 craftspeople serving as a design and innovation lab, with select styles (Alto Boots, Lido and Porto sandals) produced by family-run Italian workshops in Monte San Giusto and Tavullia.

Sabah generates revenue through direct-to-consumer channels: its e-commerce site (sabah.am and localized uk.sabah.am), permanent Sabah House retail stores in New York, San Francisco, and London, a seasonal location in Amagansett, traveling pop-up events (including a partnership with Imogene + Willie in Nashville), and selective wholesale such as the Le Bon Marché Paris partnership launched in 2024. Footwear is priced from $200 to $500 depending on style and material; accessories span $24 to $575. There is no subscription model; Afterpay installment payment is offered at checkout. The brand emphasizes content-driven marketing through its Journal blog and Instagram (@thesabahdealer), in-store events such as Sabah Sundays, and limited-edition collaborations with culturally aligned brands including Engineered Garments, Cubitts, Misha & Puff, Cawley, and RRRES. The company remains founder-owned without external fundraising, with the founder personally responding to customer inquiries.

Name

Sabah

Legal name

Sabah

Website

https://sabah.am

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sabah is a bootstrapped, founder-owned handmade leather footwear and accessories brand founded in 2013 in New York City, producing shoes at workshops in Gaziantep, Turkey, El Paso, Texas, and select Italian family workshops, and selling directly to consumers via e-commerce, Sabah House retail stores, and pop-ups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Handmade Leather Footwear

NAICS

Footwear Manufacturing (3162), Shoe Retailers (45821), Footwear Merchant Wholesalers (424340), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159)

SIC

Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140), Retail-Shoe Stores (5661)

akta.pro primary industry

Casual & Lifestyle Footwear (CRAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Luxury & Designer Footwear (CRAAACAI)

Keywords

• Handmade leather shoes
• Artisan leather footwear
• Premium leather goods
• Leather accessories
• Handcrafted slippers

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: Sabah generates revenue through direct sales of handmade leather shoes and accessories via their e-commerce website, retail stores (Sabah Houses), pop-up events, and wholesale to select stockists including Le Bon Marché in Paris.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sabah designs and sells handmade leather shoes and lifestyle accessories. Its core footwear includes the Sabah classic slip-on, Babas (backless slides), Bolos (elevated double-heeled shoes), Alto Boots, Lido and Porto sandals, and Babets for women. Supporting offerings include peshtemals, backgammon boards, bandanas, robes, belts, socks, hats, wallets, fragrances, and candles.

Product overview

Sabah is a handmade leather shoe company offering a portfolio of leather footwear products including Sabahs (classic slip-on shoes), Babas (backless slides), Bolos (elevated heels), Alto Boots, and Sandals. The company operates workshops in Gaziantep, Turkey and El Paso, Texas, with sandals also produced in Italy. Beyond footwear, Sabah sells a curated selection of lifestyle accessories including peshtemals, bandanas, backgammon boards, robes, belts, towels, hats, wallets, fragrances, and candles. The product ecosystem centers on quality craftsmanship with natural materials like full-grain leather, vegetable-tanned leather, suede, and shearling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sabahs (Classic Slip-On Shoes)

Quantifiable outcome

• Shoes that develop unique patina and character with wear, becoming more personalized over time
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Engineered GarmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLimited edition collaboration creating a Sabah in the style of a classic English brogue with hand-pressed steel and brass stud work. Exceptionally unique design combining Sabah craftsmanship with Engineered Garments aesthetic.
• CubittsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with beloved British spectacle maker featuring four sun frames. Joint product design combining eyewear expertise with Sabah's lifestyle brand.
• Misha & PuffminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmall collaborative collection inspired by colors and fruit-filled motifs of Misha & Puff's Spring/Summer '26 collection. Handcrafted in Turkey from soft, unlined full-grain leather with custom silk flowers.
• CawleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFresh take on the Babet featuring soft, unlined full-grain leather with custom silk flower finishing. Collaborative design bringing Cawley's aesthetic to Sabah's craftsmanship.
• MobolajiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravel collaboration from New York City to the deserts of New Mexico, bringing a unique collaborative product to life.
• RRRES StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of 'By Hand & By Name' series featuring Javier Reyes and his team from Oaxaca, Mexico who work by hand and by name patiently.
• Imogene + WillieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPop-up retail partnership in Nashville, Tennessee. Sabah sets up shop at Imogene + Willie locations for multi-day retail events.
• Le Bon MarchéminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive retail partnership in Paris, France. Sabah Shoes have arrived exclusively at Le Bon Marché, marking the brand's first presence in France.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Koio: Koio produces premium Italian-made leather sneakers with a DTC-first model, comparable to Sabah on premium price positioning, Italian production heritage, and direct-to-consumer distribution.
• M.Gemi: M.Gemi is a digitally native, Italy-made premium women's footwear brand with rotating artisan collections, sharing Sabah's emphasis on Italian craftsmanship, storytelling, and DTC-plus-pop-up distribution.
• FEIT: FEIT is a direct-to-consumer, handmade leather footwear brand using traditional construction and natural materials at premium price points, closely matching Sabah's craft-led positioning, price band, and DTC-led GTM.
• Buttero: Buttero is a heritage Italian leather footwear maker producing handcrafted shoes in Tuscany, comparable to Sabah's Italian-made Alto Boots and sandals in craft technique and premium positioning.
• Quoddy: Quoddy is a small-batch, handcrafted moccasin and slip-on maker from Maine, directly comparable to Sabah on artisanal construction, US-based small team, and DTC premium positioning.
• Common Projects: Common Projects is a premium minimalist leather sneaker brand sold DTC and through upscale wholesale (e.g., Mr Porter), making it a directly comparable peer in the casual premium leather footwear category.

Emerging players

• Greats Brand: Greats is a premium direct-to-consumer sneaker brand producing leather and suede sneakers in Italy; comparable on DTC model, Italian production, and mid-premium price tier.
• Yatay: Yatay is an Italian-made sustainable luxury sneaker brand with similar storytelling around craft, sustainability, and premium pricing—competing in adjacent premium-leather sneaker territory.

Broad incumbents

• A.P.C. A.P.C. is a global French contemporary brand with leather footwear and accessories lines sold through premium wholesale (Le Bon Marché, etc.), comparable to Sabah as a peer carried in the same retail environment and competing for similar minimalist-leather customer.
• Red Wing Heritage: Red Wing Heritage is an established heritage boot brand using Goodyear welt construction at premium price points, comparable on craft positioning and longevity/repairability narrative, though at much larger scale and broader wholesale footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thesabahdealer
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheSabahDealer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sabahshoes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sabah