History

Mephisto In Numbers


Over 900 stores Mephisto stores worldwide.


80% of Mephisto sales come from exports


On average, there are 160-220 manufacturing steps for every pair of shoes produced


The Mephisto team is 2800 people strong


There are 18,000 locations where Mephisto is sold globally


20,000 pairs of shoes and sandals are manufactured daily


Almost two football fields of leather are used daily


600 new designs are produced every season


The Mephisto brand is present in 86 countries worldwide

 


The Story Of Mephisto



Over 50 years ago, Martin Michaeli discovered his life’s calling, to create the most comfortable footwear in the world.

 

Michaeli graduated as a shoe engineer from Germany and travelled to the US where he worked as a footwear designer and later, a factory manager. Whilst living in the US, Michaeli longed for more, and upon returning to Europe in 1965, founded the original Mephisto headquarters in France.

 

 

Starting with a small but dedicated team of only 30 employees, the original Mephisto team worked tirelessly to make Michaeli’s dream come to life. The result was the first Mephisto moccasin, a classic style that remains loved by thousands of wearers today.

 

“The moccasin was a new shoe style at the period, and I had been able to observe in Maine, in the United States, their very specific production technique.” – Martin Michaeli

 

Quickly becoming known around the world as a footwear brand focused on comfort and quality for its wearers, Michaeli applied for his first patent in a unique and exclusive footwear manufacturing method. This was the beginning of the Mephisto legacy that still resonates today, a brand known for its distinct footwear style that continuously works to provide customers with the perfect fit.

 



For Michaeli, the needs of his customers were always at the forefront of his design process. With a global need for casual outdoor shoes on the rise, Mephisto set the bar with the ‘ORIGINALS’ a revolutionary casual sneaker perfect for urban and rural exploring.   

 

As the Mephisto brand grew in stature and prominence, Michaeli opened the first Mephisto shop in 1984, Aix-la-Chapel, Germany. Swiftly becoming loved by customers worldwide, Michaeli was awarded the Oscar de l’Exportation from the French state, for his outstanding initiative in France’s export industry.

 

 

By 1998, Mephisto had 350 stores worldwide that offered over 600 models of shoes to suit the everyday wearer. However, Michaeli knew that something was lacking in the current footwear range, and that was the absence of specialised footwear for customers who experience problems with their feet. This prompted Michaeli to launch the Mobil brand, an orthotic-friendly ergonomic shoe that caters to wearers needing a little extra support throughout the day.

 

As a result of Michaeli’s hard work, perseverance and flawless design process, he was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year award in 1999. Following this achievement, Michaeli wanted to spread the love of Mephisto shoes even further, and in 2000 he launched stores in China and Russia. A love of the Mephisto brand blossomed throughout Asia, where the new and distinct European styles were adored by all who wore them.  

 

After almost 50 years of service to the global footwear industry, Martin Michaeli was awarded the highest decoration France can grant, the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. This award was bestowed for Michaeli’s innovative contribution to shoemaking, and his involvement in the enhancement of France’s export industry. When asked what the key to Mephisto’s success was, Michaeli responded,

 

“Every pair produced by Mephisto is infused with this drive for excellence. This infatuation with excellence is behind the success of Mephisto.”



 

Our achievements didn’t stop there. In the early 2000s Mephisto was selected for the second time as the ‘Best Footwear Brand of France’ and awarded the

‘PLUS Award’ by Plus Footwear, for Mephisto’s extensive design contribution towards comfort shoes for men.  

 

With the need for casual urban hiking shoes on the rise, Michaeli launched Mephisto’s new outdoor lifestyle brand, Allrounder. Equipped with heightened comfort and fitting technology, Allrounder was quickly loved by all wearers, young and old alike.

 

After introducing Mephisto’s first sportswear brand, we officially became a ‘lifestyle brand.’ With a range catering to customer needs such as shoes for the outdoors, corporate wear, comfort, and orthotic-friendly footwear, Mephisto became known worldwide as a one-stop shoe shop. This resulted in Mephisto being awarded for the third time, the ‘Best Footwear Brand of France.’

 

After 50 years of international retail success, Martin Michaeli released his biography ‘Where My Shoes Carried Me,’ detailing Mephisto’s achievements, from its humbled beginnings in the east of France to its status as a worldwide luxury footwear brand. 





Mephisto is a brand that has continued its philosophy of quality, time and perseverance, to transform a young man’s dream successful industrial reality.