Creator Series - Inkkas Shoes
For the first 2014 installment of the Creator Series interviews on our blog, we caught up with Emma Leeson of Inkkas Shoes - A new ethical shoe brand based between Europe, the USA and Peru.
1. Introduce yourself and the brand.
Inkkas is a socially conscious clothing brand that sells handcrafted shoes and accessories made from authentic South American textiles. My name is Emma Leeson and I brought The Inkkas Project to the UK. I have been working with Inkkas as part of the team that are based between Paris, London & Peru. The Inkkas Head Office is in Brooklyn, New York and Inkkas founder and Director Dan Ben-Nun is based in New York with the majority of the team.
2. What's the inspiration behind the brand?
The idea was inspired by a trip to South America. During the trip Inkkas founder and Director, Dan Ben-Nun saw artisans producing shoes with beautiful South American fabrics, from there he began to help manufacture the shoes and then began to bring them to the US and Europe.
We believe that a true clothing brand is authentic, original and ethical, that's why we donate to local causes in the places we work.
From the beginning, Inkkas set out to be a company that would have a beneficial impact on the world, not an exploitative one. The company was founded on the principles of fair trade, philanthropy and authenticity.
The Inkkas company maintains its roots in South America, where it conducts all production, sourcing and manufacturing by hand. As part of its dedication to helping, the company makes the following promises to all customers:
Use authentic South American textiles
Made in South America by South Americans
Help support local South American communities
Design your own Inkkas shoes right here:
3. What are your biggest successes and challenges?
The biggest success for Inkkas in the UK was our first stockist being Urban Outfitters.
The biggest challenge will be launching our Inkkas pop-up store in Topshop, Oxford Street in a few months time but we are really excited to be able to offer our full SS14 collection in one of the worlds best retail stores.
4. What attracted you to working with Emblzn?
We began speaking with Sim from Emblzn when Inkkas was very young, about a year ago and I was just bringing them to the UK.
We shared the same entrepreneurial spirit which made it a natural progression to work together.
5. What is your favourite colour?
Anything vibrant and clashing. I like to wear black and cheer it up with Inkkas shoes.
6. How do you see the industry changing over the next few years?
Consumers will become more ethically conscious and with the power of social media I believe there will be a growing interest for independent fashion labels as the media continues to highlight the negative impact of High Street fast fashion. Consumers are becoming better educated and aware of where clothes are made and making more informed decisions about what they buy. I think we will see an increase of Independent brands entering the market and the ability to instantly communicate with your consumers and colleagues brands have the potential to go global faster than before.
7. What are you working on at the moment?
We will be launching the full SS14 collection in Topshop, Oxford Street on May 5th for an 8 week festival pop-up store. Come see us!!
8. Any shout outs / plugs?
Shout out goes to EMBLZN for bringing a new concept for retail to life.
Favourite brand to plug at the moment is Hickies - check out their colourful elastic laces.
Thanks to Emma and Dan at Inkkas for taking the quiz and the shout out.
