Footwear Insight

I t's a big year for ECCO. But the brand also has its sights set firmly on the future. ECCO is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. In April the brand will mark the milestone with a capsule collection featuring two of its most iconic styles, the ECCO So and ECCO Cozmo, in new lightweight designs with new eco innovations. Both styles are built in the brand's owned factories with ECCO's own leathers. For the capsule collection, the three classic silhouettes of the ECCO So have been refitted with a new bio-based sole, making it a lighter weight offering. e sole is also wrapped with super-so ECCO Organic DriTan nappa leathers. e ECCO Cozmo is also reimagined with an ultra-light Bio- based outsole. In these new styles, the brand aims to celebrate its focus on looking forward with innovation and new technology for a more sustainable future. In addition to its ecologically minded DriTan leather technology, and Fluidform sole production, ECCO is unveiling its new bio-based LYTR technology to produce even more lightweight, sustainable and long-lasting soles. Comfort and sustainability are the focus of the LYTR soles, offering better cushioning, better shock-absorption, easier cleaning and longer lasting materials from a fully bio-based source. "We are debuting our LYTR technology with our ECCO So 60 to celebrate our 60th Anniversary," Tom Berry, CEO of ECCO US tells us. "It provides the great cushioning, support, and flexibility that that the consumer has come to love in our So franchise and delivers it in a lighter weight package built with bio-materials. e result is a feeling that is out of this world. When combined with our super-so 100% Organic and DriTan nappa Leathers, the result is the most comfortable sneaker that I have ever worn." ECCO's U.S. Opportunity As the brand celebrate 60 years, we asked ECCO's U.S. chief what he thinks the brand has come to "mean" to consumers, particularly in the U.S. "ECCO is a bit of a paradox," Berry responds. "Aer 60 years, the consumers that know us understand ECCO to mean comfort, quality, durability, and timeless Danish design from a proudly independent family-owned company. e 'go-to' shoe brand for today's modern family." However, he adds, "e reality is that even aer 60 years, the majority of U.S. consumers do not know ECCO and that is our opportunity. We need to introduce this 'hidden gem' to more consumers. e consumers of today, especially today's modern family, want to engage with authentic values-driven brands that help them live better by delivering superior products built the right way — ethically and sustainably. And ECCO, with its 'better shoes built better' philosophy, is the brand they want — but might not yet have met." Guiding Principles Regarding the future for the brand and how it is working towards a lighter footprint and a more sustainable future, we asked Berry what the main principles are that guide ECCO in that journey. "At ECCO we have two foundational advantages," he notes. "e first is that we have been a Danish, values-driven, fam- ily-owned company for 60 years and we intend to remain that way. is allows us to take the long view; sustainability and social responsibility have been our core values long before they became fashionable and marketable. e second advantage is that we have a unique at scale 'farm to foot' vertical supply chain meaning we own and operate our factories and tanneries which gives us an obvious transparency advantage on sustainability and social re- sponsibility issues." These two advantages, combined with the brand's focus on innovation, durabil- ity, and style provide it with a powerful sustainability port- folio, Berry adds. ECCO aims to innovate by marrying cra and technology, he says. An example is DriTan technology which uses less water and produces less waste. Another is its Fluidform construction. "Longer life and greater du- rability is better for our consumer's wallets and better for the planet," says Berry. "And finally, our Danish modern design philosophy provides timeless style that's relevant today and will be equally relevant 10 years from now. Timeless style is our ethic — not fast and disposable fashion; and timeless style is sustainability." n 14 • Footwear Insight ~ March/April 2023 footwearinsight.com Eco Innovation ECCO Celebrates 60 Years and Looks Forward to a More Sustainable Future ECCO Men's Cozmo 60 ECCO Women's Soft 60

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