An innovative collaboration between ECCO and Design School Kolding means that design students can attend a shoe design programme. The collaboration between the two organisations was initiated in 2011 and has now once again been renewed.
”To a multinational business like ECCO with roots in the southern part of Denmark, it is important that our design teams also include employees with an educational background in Denmark. Our collaboration with Design School Kolding enables us to quickly spot some of the greatest talents,” says CEO of ECCO Steen Borgholm.
Key to ECCO’s success is premium quality leather, innovative technology and, not least, great design.
Vice President of Research and Development in ECCO, Jakob Møller Hansen, is pleased that the collaboration can now continue:
"We appreciate being able to make our contribution to the development of new designers, and there is no doubt that our interaction with the young designers has strengthened ECCO’s brand in the creative world.”
Mutual benefit
Head of Design School Kolding Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen is delighted to see the collaboration continue because it means that the school can continue providing a specific shoe module to the bachelor students; a project which has opened up for a variety of new job opportunities for the students:
”We are proud to be the only Danish institution to feature a shoe design programme, and our partnership with ECCO is truly unique. The understanding which the students gain of materials, design and construction is special, because they get their knowledge directly from some of the best in the business. Similarly, I am sure that ECCO feels inspired when they see some of the pretty wild suggestions and concepts from the students. The collaboration is mutually beneficial, because in the long run, it creates a new and interesting growth potential in our industry,” she says.
CEO of ECCO Sko A/S, Steen Borgholm, Head of Design School Kolding Elsebeth Gerner and Jakob Møller Hansen, Vice President of Research & Development
About ECCO
ECCO is one of the world’s leading shoe brands, combining style and comfort. ECCO’s success is built on products with a great fit and top-quality leathers. ECCO is a highly responsible company that owns and manages every aspect of the value chain from leather and shoe manufacturing to wholesale and retail activities. ECCO’s products are sold in 99 countries from over 2,250 ECCO shops and more than 14,000 sales points. ECCO is family-owned, founded in Denmark in 1963, and employs 21,300 people worldwide.