Teva Naot Sandals Shopping in Tel Aviv (and the world)

Early shoe production in Naot Mordechai. Picture from 1964 - 1966 - PikiWiki Israel (www.pikiwiki.org.il)

Editor: here is a bit of history about Teva-Naot shoes... Naot shoes have been making shoes for Israelis in Kibbutz Naot Mordechai for over 50 years. The first 25 years or so, Naot shoes were a staple of Israeli life. They made simple leather sandals and shoes. The kibbutz factory made a name for itself as practical good value shoes. I remember going to visit my aunt and uncle Miriam and Avram in the kibbutz and buying shoes at the factory store. It was a fun experience as a young kid. Israel did not have many factory stores and certainly I do not remember any for shoes. There were shoes that you did not see in stores and the people there knew about fit more than any shoe salesman in a Tel Aviv store.

In the 1970s and 1980s a few kibbutz members went to Europe to study shoe design (mostly Italy, France and Germany) and this brought new designs to the shoes. No longer were the shoes just practical, now you could go out on a Friday night with a Naot shoe and not feel like you just came in from a kibbutz field. In the 1980s Naot made the world famous weaved straps sandals Teva. The design quickly became the symbol of young trekkers around the world. They were the cool sandals to go trekking in the mouthiness of South America (or Asia.) I remember visiting my uncle again in the 1990s and how surprised all the kibbutz members were from the name the sandals made for them. Naot Mordechai is at the very edge of Israel. Just east of Kiriat Shmone, the infamous town that was shelled for years from Lebanon. Naot was one of the kibbutzim at the border of Syria. From swamps and rocky fields they built a small Garden of Eden. A green little patch of land with a small shoe factory with an international name.

Back to Teva-Naot shoes (in Israel the shoes are called Teva-Naot after the merging of the sandals and shoes. In the US they are Teva because of the more popular sandals brand.) In Israel the kibbutz recently sold part of it's brand to an outside company. Teva-Naot shops are starting to spread in malls and shopping areas. Today the shoes are positioned in a comfortable leisure style, much like Birkenstock and Rockport shoes. As a brand Naot has a long way to go in comparison with the world's known shoes. In terms of design and construction, Naot shoes are good and the experience in designing, making and selling shoes in Israel is a great way to develop capabilities. Since the world does not know of Naot shoes, one way to help is go try them out. They are not sold everywhere, and I know in the US you have to make an effort to find them. In Europe, the stores that sell comfortable shoes like Ecco and Clarks you can usually find Naot shoes. Teva sandals you can find in more places, they have a bigger name. You will like the fit and the style, it is a blend of Israeli comfort with a bit on international simplicity.