The Mephisto brand has been built on dedication and determination from the beginning; with founding member Martin Michaeli leaving his home town in France for the USA at the age of 21 to pursue his career as a manager. There, he gained valuable experiences and savings ready for his return six years later where he established the Mephisto brand. In the years that were to follow, Mephisto became a global brand, recognised everywhere for its sophisticated styles and quality; setting a precedent that this brand is one that offers comfort and excellent standards.

In 1973 Michaeli applied for his first patent of shoes; creating the brand of exceptional and unique footwear and manufacturing methods. Just two years later in 1975 and Mephisto had become renowned worldwide, particularly due to the growing trends in sport and leisure. Thus, this allowed for the innovative concept of casual shoes for outdoor actives, as well as casual occasions, which lead to the “Originals” designs, which achieved global recognition.

In 1985, due to the increased demand for his shoes, Michaeli exported 80% of his production, receiving the 'Oscar de l'Exportation' from the French State for his outstanding philosophy of his business exportation. Due to the capturing of the American market, the company set up a subsidiary in California, USA in 1987 before opening one in Canada in 1989. With continued exportation success, Michaeli received another 'Oscar de l'Exportation' in 1994 before receiving the 'National Order of Merit' in 1995 for opening his 150^th Mephisto Shop.

Entering the year of 1998, Mephisto were offering their customers a wide variety of 600 models of shoes, including the Mobils range which offered exceptional comfort and specialised shoes for orthopaedic retail. However, with all of his success, Michaeli didn't become lazy and sit back on his heels to watch his empire grow as he continued to innovate the footwear market, introducing the Allrounder range in 2002, an outdoor lifestyle brand that was loved by all ages of hikers. Then, in 2003, the first sportswear collection of Mephisto was introduced, making the brand even more tailored toward lifestyles. With the innovative technology of Soft-Air Technology, Mephisto introduced all of their shoes with this technology; advertising this aspect globally.