October 17, 2023 |
“It’s not a relaunch, it’s a refresh” is how Ecco describes its exciting new venture with Natacha Ramsay-Levi. The Danish label, which is simultaneously celebrating its 60th year in the shoe bizz, is hell-bent on steering the brand into a new chapter led by progression and evolution, with Ramsay-Levi being a solid co-pilot. The industry veteran – who first established herself as Nicohlas Ghesquière’s right hand at both Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton – held the coveted position of Chloé’s creative director between 2017 and 2020. After collaborating with Ecco as part of its collaborative programme At.Kollektive in 2022, Ramsay-Levi was tapped by Ecco’s chief exec Panos Mytaros to give the global brand a plump injection of fresh insight.
Having been set the task of creating a bi-annual collection entitled NRL, the forward-thinking designer has hit the ground running with a drop featuring 15 different styles of shoes, reimagining Ecco’s signature staples. Bouncing between vibrant shades of cherry, lemon and periwinkle to the subtler black, khaki and beige, the drop pays respect to the diversity of the Ecco customer. Not one to forego functionality and comfort, thick soles and full-grain leather developed in the brand’s own tanneries imbue the pieces with strength and stability. Maintaining Ecco’s people-first approach, boots are available as lace-ups, calf-grazers or knee-highs, giving consumers the option of more classic silhouettes like a Chelsea or the futuristic-looking Gruuv. Elsewhere, a ballerina flat and ankle boot is formed using Ecco’s distinct Biom technology that encourages natural movement.
Enlisting model Kiko Mizuhara and her DJ sister Yuka, Pink Pantheress and her bestie Bleona and the family of stuntman Travis Pastrana and his pro-skateboarder wife Lyn-z for its marketing roll-out entitled ‘What Makes A Family’, Ecco is firmly placing community at the heart of this new era. To better understand this creative transition, we sat down with Mytaros to discuss what we can expect from Ecco’s next chapter.
The 60th anniversary of Ecco marks a huge shift for the brand with a new creative vision. What can you tell us about the refresh and what can we expect it to look like?
“The refresh of Ecco is what we call a 360 refresh, meaning you can expect to see, in any consumer touch point, a new Ecco – online, social media, campaigns, out of home, shops and the collection. What one can expect to see is a continuous refreshing of the collection and the brand but, at the same time, seeing something that remains genuine and who we are – remains the real Ecco.”
Why is 60 years the right time to make this change?
“I have been in charge for two years now, so 60 was the first big anniversary. When one turns 60, often people look back on what they achieved and we thought we should look ahead – how will Ecco evolve? 60 years gives us a lot of confidence and experience, so it’s the right time to look ahead and say, okay, what do we want Ecco to be for the next 60 or 50 or a hundred years?”
What part of the refresh are you most looking forward to?
“I am looking forward to seeing an Ecco product being transformed into something which we wouldn’t expect. We can see this happening with Natacha Ramsay-Levi – being worn by a new consumer which we didn’t have before. That, for me, is the real satisfaction. I love our products so it’s nice to see them being transformed and being worn.”
What are some of your standout pieces from Natacha’s collection?
“I love the twist that she gave to a real outdoor shoe, which she made way more feminine and really not outdoorsy. Whilst it is an outdoor style, I like that she made a ballerina shoe that you could run off trail for hours and that’s unique.”
Over the past 60 years, how would you say that Ecco’s design language has developed?
“Ecco’s design language remains, to a certain extent, unique to us with our ‘original Danish design’, but it has twists that you can see in most of our products. Having said that, I think for the past 10 years we made too many products and that somehow spoils the direction. So, we are now narrowing it down and trying to be as genuine as possible in our design philosophy, which is very important to us. We want to then evolve from there to modern-day requirements but still have the same base. It’s this original simplistic Danish design that we like.”
Want to explore the new release? Take a peek here.
Photography courtesy of Ecco.
