Saving Soles, one Step at a Time

Founder and celebrity footwear designer Etu Evans concedes, “One pair of shoes changed Cinderella’s life forever.” The right footwear can affect one’s posture and instill confidence. The Solesville Foundation began in 1994 in Harlem, NY while serv-ing as the Assistant Director for the Institute of Youth Entrepreneurship (IYE), one of his students observed his footwear, and exclaimed, “I wish I had shoes like that.” Mr. Evans then took off his new Gucci loafers and gave them to this young man, with the promise of him demonstrating academic excellence. It was then that Evans noticed how many of his students lacked the appropriate footwear for job interviews, motivating him to collect shoes from off city streets to repair them, and offer the upgrades to his students and the homeless in the hopes of making a difference in their lives. Evans later decided to focus on sexual responsibility and abuse after discovering the alarming rates of sexual abuse, traffick-ing, disease and teen pregnancies, while working with urban youth. Currently, he is developing a youth and teen hot line and website called “Holla” to amplify the voices of those who have been sexually abused or victims of trafficking because some-times “silence screams the loudest.” For his Solesville efforts, Etu Evans received honors as one of Burger King’s “Everyday Heroes,” “Public Citizen of the Year” by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), “Citizen of the Year” by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and listed as a “Man of Influence” by the National Urban League (NUL). The foundation has been featured in Vibe’s “Top 10 Droppin’ Dime” column, Black Enterprise, Shuz, The Positive Community, and Harlem World magazines. Additionally, The Harlem Times, Daily News, Footwear News, Crain’s, Amsterdam News, and a plethora of television and radio venues have highlighted Etu’s strides such as McDonald’s. Evans also received citations from Eliot Spitzer, Governor of New York and Public Service Award from New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. We all have to put our Best Foot Forward!