This sneaker brand is flipping the script on unethical fashion practices

When it comes to fashion design and manufacturing most brands tread a well-worn path; design in Europe or North America, manufacture in a developing country. But a new campaign from a vegan sneaker brand aims to turn this on its head. It looked to Bangladesh talent to design its shoe, and is making it in Portugal.

The project was conceived by by Accenture Song Hamburg (formerly Kolle Rebbe) for EKN, a sneaker brand founded in 2015 by Noel Klein-Reesink, who had worked for New Balance and Adidas. It commissioned Bangladeshi designer Rokaiya Ahmed Purna, whose RAP label has built a reputation for redefining Bangladeshi traditional cultural fabrics, to create a new design for the limited edition sneaker.

The agency also worked on creating the design language, packaging, launch campaign film and photography around the product, named the Ekn Kamthala, which is Bangladeshi for jackfruit, the country’s national fruit. The wedge sole and the yellow elements are inspired by a ripe jackfruit, and the shoe is handmade in Portugal with vegan materials.

According to Alexander Grapp, group creative director at Accenture Song and initiator of the concept, “‘Made In’ labels not only brush over the unjust conditions that people in the Global South often work under – they also reinforce harmful stereotypes about creativity and production in the so-called ‘First’ and ‘Third World’.”

“They presume that American and European design is superior to that of the countries where brands outsource their production, which is simply not the case," he added. “All of this is what we wanted to challenge with this statement. And along the way we learned and were continually inspired by the creativity and resilience of designers from Bangladesh like Rokaiya. We hope this makes people think. We’d like to invite more companies and brands to work in a different way with countries like Bangladesh and beyond - and to harness the talent and creativity that is clearly waiting to be more widely recognized.”

The shoes will be available online at www.eknfootwear.com, with all profits going to Bangladesh, and meanwhile the company looking for talented designers in other countries to create an ongoing series of shoes.