Melli Shoe

Melli Shoe (Kafsh Melli) is a historic Iranian shoe manufacturer founded in 1957 by Mohammad Rahim Mottaqi Iravani. It grew to become one of Iran's largest industrial groups, operating over 52 factories in the shoe and leather industry and more than 400 retail stores across the country, employing between 9,000 and 11,000 workers. The company exported footwear to the Soviet Union (especially the Red Army), Hungary, Poland, and Romania. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Melli Shoe was confiscated and transferred to the National Industries Organization. Over time, its machinery was sold off, and its industrial park was converted into warehouses. Today, the remaining Melli Shoe retail stores sell products from small industries and other factories, and some Iranian shoe producers market their goods under the Melli Shoe brand. The company's workforce has dwindled from 10,000 to about 700 employees.

Melli Shoe was founded in 1957 (1336 SH) by Mohammad Rahim Mottaqi Iravani. After a trip to Czechoslovakia, Iravani brought two experts and an autoclave to Iran and started shoe production with only 35 workers. The shoes were priced at about half the cost of imported equivalents. Iravani later bought a 700-square-meter plot in the Mehr Abad area of Tehran, with a 400-square-meter building. With the purchase of sewing machines and the use of Iranian fabrics, a foreign company named Velko agreed to invest and transfer technology to Iran. The factory was named "Kafsh Melli" and initially produced 150 different products. Iravani expanded the factory by buying land and properties in Mehr Abad, and also built a mosque on one of the plots. Until 1958, leather shoes were not produced in Iran; but following the establishment of leather and tanning factories, leather shoe production began at Melli Shoe. During this period, Melli Shoe's main competitors were shoes mainly imported from Czechoslovakia. From 1968 onwards, Melli Shoe began producing other products such as socks, tweed lining, and shoe laces. In the same year, the expansion of Melli Shoe factories continued with construction at kilometer 18 of the old Karaj Road. Iravani bought a 400,000-square-meter plot, and the Melli Shoe Industrial Park officially began operations in the early 1970s. Plans were made to build 400 organizational housing units for workers to reduce commuting and transportation costs. By 1971, the Melli Shoe factory produced various types of shoes such as sports shoes, rain shoes, boots, slippers, sneakers, children's shoes, and safety shoes. With the gradual increase in capacity of the Mehr Abad factory, 12,500 pairs of shoes were produced daily by 2,500 workers. In 1978, the company's capital increased by 741 million rials compared to 1976. Iravani, in addition to establishing Melli Shoe retail chain stores across the country and standardizing prices, was able to export shoes to Eastern European countries and the Soviet Union. To supply its needs for new molds and repair of existing machinery, Melli Shoe established a mold-making company called Dasma Iran, which also accepted external orders. After the 1979 Revolution, Melli Shoe and more than 50 related companies were confiscated. It was transferred to the National Industries Organization and later assigned to the Civil Servants Pension Organization to settle government debts. To date, the factory's machinery has been entirely sold, and the factory site (Melli Shoe Industrial Park) has been converted into warehouses, part of which is used by Saipa Automotive Company and another part as a shoe warehouse. Currently, some shoe manufacturers in the country sell their products under the Melli Shoe brand through Melli Shoe stores. Two other large Iranian shoe companies, Kafsh Bola and Kafsh Vin, met the same fate. Now Melli Shoe stores have become outlets for products of small industries and other factories. After 32 years, of the 10,000 personnel of the Melli Shoe Group, only 700 remain, working in Kafsh Ganjeh and commercial sections. Melli Shoe and Kafsh Bola have not exported to any country since the 1979 Revolution.

• 1979

  Confiscated after the Iranian Revolution and transferred to the National Industries Organization.

• 1978

  Company capital increases by 741 million rials.

• 1971

  Daily production reaches 12,500 pairs with 2,500 workers.

• 1968

  Expansion of factories and start of production of socks, tweed lining, and shoe laces.

• 1958

  Leather shoe production begins in Iran.

• 1957

  Founded by Mohammad Rahim Mottaqi Iravani in Tehran.

Mass-market national footwear brand, historically known for affordable, domestically produced shoes.

• Leather shoes

• Sports shoes

• Rain boots

• Boots

• Slippers

• Sneakers

• Children's shoes

• Safety shoes

• Socks

• Shoe laces

• Tweed lining

1. 1Official websitemellishoeco.com
2. 2Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Persian Wikipediafa.wikipedia.org