Barcelona street sellers launch brand

Barcelona street sellers’ start-up - 5th July 2021

‘Top Manta’ is the new name in trainers. African street sellers in Barcelona have set up a cooperative which makes and sells trainers. It produces the trainers in Spain and Portugal.

The new brand is named ‘Top Manta’, which is a reference to the street sellers’ work. ‘Manta’ is the word for the blankets on which they display their goods on the street. It comes from Wolof, the native language of the many sellers from Senegal.

The sellers previously received criticism for their work. They have been selling fake designer shoes and handbags for years.

Their new trainers are called ‘Ande Dem’, which translates as ‘walking together’. The trainers’ logo shows a blanket that curves like waves. This symbolises the sellers’ hazardous voyage from Africa to Spain in small inflatable boats.

The trainers have been designed to include African colours. They feature tough materials, which make them better for outdoor work than sport.

Top Manta spokesperson Larmine Sarr advised customers to choose their trainers over designer brands. He said that “desperate people in the developing world” are treated badly by some well-known companies. He added that street sellers have faced a lot of difficulties. Ande Dem trainers cost €115, with profits going to “helping a community that is discriminated against in every way.”