Help bring Georgian Bebbo slippers to life [VIDEO]

A Georgian man is introducing the world to Bebbo – traditional handmade footwear – and asking people near and far to help preserve the Georgian national tradition and bring the creative project to life.

Bebbo, which translates to ‘grandmother’ in Georgian, are traditional handmade slippers made from 100 percent natural wool.

Zuka Alavidze, the man behind the project, said wool was a breathable fibre provided instant warmth and comfort, and also helped joints to stay more flexible and healthy.

Even the colours are acquired from natural sources, such as grass, leaves, trees, and vegetables. So the Bebbo slippers are absolutely healthy and ecological,” said Alavidze on Kickstarter when describing the project.

Alavidze initially shared the Georgian tradition first with his friends and relatives, and after seeing how much they loved the slippers, he decided to spread the world and tell the world about traditional Georgian slippers.

The inspiration for this business was my grandmother, who used to make this footwear for me when I was a kid. They served me well and the idea came to light! As an adult I decided to share this family tradition with friends and relatives and they loved it,” said Alavidze.

Alavidze posted a video of how to make traditional Bebbo slippers on Kickstarter, a special platform that helped entrepreneurs find the resources and support they needed to make their ideas a reality. On the website he described the idea of his project.

The video shows how the Bebbo slippers are made. 

Now the business’ fate is in consumers’ hands.

Alavidze is hoping to raise at least £5,000 (about 18,000 GEL) by Sunday, November 1, 2015 to bring his project to life. Anything less than this and he will be unable to finance the project. As of today £729 (2,650 GEL) had been raised.

As our primary objective is to make Georgian traditions known to the world, we will be offering only traditional patterns to our customers by our website. Customers will be able to choose their favourite patterns and colours, so that Bebbos' are truly unique and fully customisable,” Alavidze said.

Warmth and comfort has made Bebbo footwear particularly favourable by the Georgian public.

We have been very successful with our product in Georgia and now we need your help and our knowledge in order to make Georgian traditions well-known. Your support is needed to preserve our national traditions, and to introduce you to probably the most comfortable footwear of all,” said Alavidze.

Twenty-six days remain for consumers to ‘back the project’. People who support the project will get the product for a reduced price. If the £5,000 target was not reached the project will not go ahead and all customers will have their money refunded.