A well-known manufacturer of comfortable casual shoes for women, men and children, leather goods and leather accessories with unique designs and high quality. Ecco shoes - how to recognize a fake

Over the relatively short period of its existence, the Ecco brand has gained worldwide popularity and a reputation as a manufacturer of high-quality and comfortable shoes. The brand was founded in 1963 in Denmark by Karl Toosby.

The history of Ecco began with the opening of a small shoe factory. The factory produced very comfortable and lightweight shoes, which very quickly became widely popular throughout Denmark, and soon throughout the world.

The production process from the very beginning takes place under the strict control of management at the very beginning. modern equipment. Shoe leather is processed very carefully, which makes Ecco shoes very durable.

Nowadays, Ecco shoes are successfully sold all over the world. Now Ecco not only produces high-quality shoes, but also sells leather treated in a special way. Seats for airplanes and other vehicles, as well as furniture, are made from it.

The Ecco assortment currently includes two lines of shoes: Ecco (comfortable shoes for adults) and Ecco Kids (children's shoes).

How to distinguish a fake

Since Ecco is a very popular brand, it is no secret that on store shelves large number fakes To learn to distinguish them from the original, you need to know the most important points, which you need to pay attention to.

For original Ecco shoes, a mandatory condition is the presence of a branded box. If the shoes are without a box, then they are fake. The box must have a brand logo, as well as a sticker with all the information about the pair of shoes.

Pay attention to the country of manufacture. Real high-quality Ecco is sewn in Portugal, Slovakia, Holland, China, Thailand and Indonesia. Any of these countries indicated on the box of Ecco shoes indicates its originality. If you see a different country on the box, then most likely they are trying to sell you a fake.

Upon purchase special attention pay attention to the quality of the shoes. Inspect all seams carefully, they should be smooth and neat. Protruding threads are not allowed. The sole should not sag, no traces or drips of glue are allowed. The sole itself should be elastic and soft enough.

When worn, Ecco shoes are very comfortable on the feet, never float or chafe. Most models have arch support, which ensures maximum comfort and health of your feet.

If you smell original Ecco shoes, you should not notice an unpleasant, pungent, chemical odor. If the shoes emit a strong rubber smell, then they are 100% fake.

And lastly, remember: never buy branded shoes in suspicious, unverified places. It is best to make a purchase at official Ecco representative offices. There you can be guaranteed the quality and originality of the products.

For more than 50 years, Ecco has been one of the world's top three footwear manufacturers. Scandinavian design, precise lines, maximum comfort and careful quality control are the main criteria when creating Ecco collections. The products of this brand are presented in 3,060 company stores in 88 countries and are invariably popular with customers. Ecco always follows the once chosen philosophy: not just to create stylish shoes, but to make them truly comfortable. The development of each model is based on the principles of caring for customers.

From its founding in 1963 to the present day, Ecco is the only company in the world that fully controls all stages of production and sales of products: from direct leather dressing to fitting of a model by its potential owner. Thanks to the high production capacity of its own factories, Ecco is one of the largest suppliers of quality leather - several leading luxury brands are clients of the company. Only the best innovative technologies and unique designs make Ecco shoes and accessories truly exceptional. That is why buyers all over the world choose Ecco models and remain loyal to the brand for many years.

Our inspiration was nature. We believe in the unity of form and function, adhering to elegant simplicity and a preference for style that is timeless. For us, beauty is determined not by decorative elements, but by such components as material, shape and color. When creating Ecco shoes, we adamantly follow these principles and use only high-quality soft and elastic leather. We create classic shapes, which are always relevant and are constantly looking for ways to adapt shoes to the movements of the foot as much as possible. We strive for designs that combine beauty and convenience. We adhere to this approach in all aspects of life - in work, love, family, creativity and friendship. Every day is unique for us!

Ecco is a Danish company that has been sewing shoes and a variety of leather accessories for more than half a century. It all started in 1963, when the Dane Karl Toosby decided to start creating shoes in his small town of Bredebro. On favorable terms, he bought a small empty factory and began to work on realizing his dream - creating shoes that would combine convenience, comfort, innovation, as well as the famous philosophy of Scandinavian design: simplicity, durability and naturalness. More than half a century later, we can say that Toosby succeeded! Now the Ecco brand is popular all over the world, it is one of the most successful shoe manufacturers in the world - precisely thanks to the ideas that the creator put into the basis of the business.

The history of Ecco - why the world loves these shoes so much

Karl Toosby studied to be a shoemaker from childhood. He started as a simple worker making shoes in a factory, and by the age of 30 he became the manager of a small shoe factory in Copenhagen. But he was not the owner of the production, and the techniques for producing shoes did not suit him. Karl had a dream: to create his own factory, where shoes would be produced according to the standards that he adhered to. Therefore, having saved money, he quit his job, sold his house and moved to Bredebro in western Denmark, where he was able to buy a small production facility with this money. With his wife Brita and five-year-old daughter Hanni, he rented an apartment and began setting up a small, empty factory so that it could produce the quality shoes he wanted.

Karl's idea was to make shoes that people wouldn't have to break into. Which would fit on your foot like a glove. So that you could hardly even touch the shoes with your hands. This was the first concept that all subsequent Ecco shoes and sneakers followed: they had to be comfortable not only to wear, but also to take off/put on.

The people of the town mainly made their living by farming in the surrounding fields, so Carl Toosby had to independently train each of his workers to learn how to make shoes. But his “super-comfortable” shoes quickly gained popularity in the surrounding villages: people did not want to deal with their shoes after a long time of work. Carl Toosby's shoes meant they didn't have to worry about that.

At first, Karl named his shoes Venus ("Venus"). But it turned out that such a brand already existed in neighboring Germany, and so the master had to look for a new name for his company. This is how the ECCO brand appeared in 1969. Carl chose it because the word seemed simple, understandable in any language, and could easily be turned into a stylish logo. In the same year, the first Ecco sneakers and sandals began to be produced. And already in 1972 they took part in the Olympic Games in Munich - on the feet of most Danish athletes.

In 1978, three iconic models of the company's black classic men's shoes were released - Ecco Joke, Ecco Free and Ecco Time. On this new shoes Ecco reviews from customers were so positive that Toosby's items crossed the English Channel for the first time and began to be sold through custom catalogs not only in Germany and France, but also in the UK. At the same time, they were still produced manually at the factory: the first automatic machine was purchased by Karl only in 1980, when the company sold 1 million pairs of Ecco Joke shoes.

The next shoe model became the most popular in the company's history. In 1981, the Ecco Soft sneaker was launched - still similar in appearance to shoes, but much softer, and with a sole more suitable for running. You can still buy these Ecco sneakers on the company's official website - more than 37 years later. Their total sales exceeded 40 million, making them one of the most famous shoe models in the world.

In 1990, Ecco officially came to the United States. The company opened several stores in New York, Los Angeles and other cities, but its main sales came through magazines. Thanks to the popularity of Ecco's catalogs, the company's men's shoes began to be sold throughout America, and the United States became the company's largest market. Carl Toosby opened new factories in Indonesia and Portugal to get his shoes to the western and eastern states as quickly as possible. And in 1993, he (and his daughter Hanni Tusby, who became his deputy) opened a large factory and tannery in Thailand - which today produces more than 5 million pairs of shoes per year.

In 1996, Ecco was one of the first shoe companies in the world to create its own page on the World Wide Web. Ecco.com launched. At first it simply contained information about the company's founder and the main models it produces (similar to magazines). Subsequently, this page became Ecco’s online store and official website. Today it receives 2.5 million visitors monthly. This is where the latest collections appear and the company's biggest promotions take place. For example, Ecco is currently having a sale online, with discounts of up to 40% on hundreds of shoe models. The promotion on the site even applies to models from new collections, and this is the best platform for purchasing this stylish shoes at the lowest price.

What's today

In 1963, Ecco started out as a small factory with 16 employees, which sold its products in surrounding villages. Today it is one of the largest shoe manufacturing concerns in the world. Ecco products are known in 88 countries, the company has more than 3,300 of its own stores, and employs 20 thousand employees. It still belongs to the heirs of Karl Toosby, and is famous for the high quality of its products.

The brand is especially known for its leather quality. It has tanning factories in the Netherlands, Indonesia, Thailand and China. They supply leather not only for Ecco shoes, but also for cars, sports (footballs) and fashion. In the catalog of the Ekko online store you can find several thousand leather goods, including the same Ecco Joke, Ecco Free, Ecco Time and Ecco Soft that were introduced more than forty years ago.

The popularity of these shoes in Europe, the USA, and here in the CIS can easily be explained by the brand’s devotion to its original ideals. Even in new products, designers implement the same Scandinavian comfort and simplicity with which it all began.

The bulk of Ecco products are leather shoes any design. These include classics, which are usually worn in combination with a more formal style, and bright, specific models, such as a separate line of golf shoes.

If you look at the Ecco brand as a whole, you can see the very principles by which Karl Toosby built his business in the early 60s:
Simplicity and naturalness - almost all Ecco shoes are made of soft leather, thanks to which the brand has gained a reputation for reliability and durability. Despite the prices, which are usually slightly higher than the market average, with proper care, the buyer can count on the fact that his Ecco shoes will last more than one, not two, or even three full seasons.

Innovation - many models are very technologically advanced. This is due to the special design of the sole, which smoothes the load on the legs and joints during long walks, and the Gore-Tex membrane, which removes sweat well, but does not allow your feet to get wet. These shoes have excellent water-repellent properties and at the same time allow your feet to breathe.

Quality - Ecco shoes are manufactured under careful control in Europe and Asia. Now the main factories of the brand are located in Portugal, Slovakia, China, Indonesia and Thailand. Yak leather is most often used to make shoes. According to the company, it stands head and shoulders above everything that other manufacturers use.

Based on all this, the price becomes quite justified. Of all the mass shoe brands, Ecco is truly one of the most reliable. And coupled with the famous Scandinavian design, spending an average of about $100 per pair does not seem excessive. To make buying these shoes even less costly, we will tell you how and where to save on Ecco shoes.

Buying Ecco shoes

Over the 50 years of its existence, the Ecco company has opened more than one hundred stores around the world, including that you can buy Ecco shoes in Russia. However, according to the old Russian tradition, prices for this brand in the Russian Federation are noticeably higher than in Europe, and even more so than in the USA. And the American assortment pleases with a wide variety of models and interesting colors. And in Russia, Ecco’s online store cannot boast of tempting discounts: in practice, Ecco shoes from the official website in America turn out to be much cheaper, plus the latest current collections appear there instantly, and you don’t have to wait for several months.

As an example, you can take, for example, the Ecco Cool 2.0 sneakers - with Gore-Tex and a thick sole, ideal for autumn and winter. Going to the Ecco store in Russia (Ecco-Shoes.ru), we see that they are presented in three colors, and you can buy ecco women's for 14,490 rubles. “For such high-quality winter sneakers, in which the foot does not sweat, maybe this is not even bad?” - we think.

But it's worth taking a look at the popular American shoe site Zappos to make sure that buying Ecco sneakers in the USA will be much cheaper. There is a discount on Ecco products, and the same model, only presented in 4 colors, costs $149 (at at the moment this is 10,150 rubles). One and a half times cheaper! Moreover, this is one of the most popular American sites where shoes are supplied directly from the manufacturer.

And that's not all! In America there is a large online store 6PM, offering clothes and shoes from top brands with huge discounts.

The range here is not as wide as on the official website, but you can often find what you are interested in at the best prices on the Internet.

6PM gives discounts of up to 75% on Ekko, and the store offers more than a thousand models of the company’s shoes. There are also our winter sneakers - currently priced at $69.99. This is 4760 rubles! At three o'clock one more time cheaper than on the Russian site! The only thing is that not all sizes are available, and the number of models on sale is limited. But for the price of one pair in Russia (from the official Ecco store!) you can buy three pairs of the same sneakers in America, and you’ll still have enough left over for shoe polish!

Moreover, 6PM for purchases over $50 offers free delivery to the American Parcel Post warehouse. And almost never has problems with Russian buyers.

This is how you can save about $140 on one purchase. And that's not even one of them best offers, there are even more discounts! As a rule, Ecco stores in Russia do not often delight their customers with such large promotions, but Zappos and 6pm do this regularly. Ecco also has an online store and directly on Amazon. In it, products are conveniently divided into categories, where you can also track interesting discounts (although, as a rule, not as large as those of 6PM).

However, keep in mind that for some models the price difference with the Russian one is not so great, so sometimes it is more profitable to buy them in the Russian Federation. We recommend checking prices in both Russia and the US before making a purchase. This will help you find exactly the model that will really be profitable to bring from overseas as part of a consolidated parcel.

And the duty-free limit has absolutely nothing to do with it, because... prices for Ecco (unlike, for example, Clarks) in Russia are not charged. And in general they meet global standards. Perhaps, with the exception of shares, which, of course, are more numerous in Europe. And a 2-fold drop in sales is, of course, very cool. Moreover, 2 times in my opinion is still good, because... The mid-price shoe market in Russia is very limited. A huge number of brands are simply missing in Russia

...The weak ruble and the low purchasing power of Russians have affected the results of the Danish shoe company Ecco: over the past two years, its sales in Russia in units have dropped by 50%
Large myrrh In its 2015 report, the leading Danish shoe manufacturer Ecco reported a 50% reduction in sales in Russia in physical terms over the past two years (2014-2015). Ecco does not disclose absolute sales figures in Russia. According to the company, sales of footwear and accessories in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa), which includes Russia, decreased over last year by 6.6% to 533 million euros.

Total revenue for the global company, which has more than 1,300 stores, grew by 7.4% to €1.3 billion in 2015, with pre-tax profit up 4% to €183 million.

“Problems in the Russian market continued to put pressure on the company’s profits, but this was reduced by improving production efficiency, logistics and focusing on operating costs,” Ecco said in its financial statements. The parent company, Ecco, blames the drop in sales on the rise in product costs due to the weakening of the ruble and the fall in the purchasing power of Russians. It was possible to partially compensate for losses in Russia due to increasing consumer spending in Europe and strong growth in Asian countries, the document states. The report mentions several times that despite the volatility Russian market, the brand’s position there is very strong: the company will support its partners and continue to operate in the country.

Popularity of Esso in Russia:

The Ecco brand is one of the most popular among Russians. According to the RosIndex study by the consulting company Ipsos Comcon, conducted in the second half of 2015, the brand took third place among the most recognizable shoe brands in Russia after Centro and Salamander. The study showed that Centro shoes are chosen by 57.4% of respondents, Salamander - 34.8%, Ecco - 29.5%. The annual sample for the study is 25.7 thousand respondents living in cities with a population of more than 100 thousand people.

In Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, Ecco is represented by the official distributor Ecco-Ros LLC, which owns a network of 165 company stores under the Ecco brand. According to SPARK, the company is now owned on a parity basis by businessmen Andrei Sevagin and Ivan Shtopel. The company's revenue in 2014 (no more recent data) amounted to 11.2 billion rubles, a net loss of 1 billion rubles. The distributor showed a loss for the first time since 2010. According to Maria Dolgova, a representative of the Russian division of Ecco, the company has been changing its business processes throughout the past year: purchase volumes were reduced, and the chain began updating its retail outlets.

Many players in the footwear market now find themselves in a difficult situation. According to the National Footwear Union, the Russian footwear market, both in terms of raw materials and finished products, is dependent on imports by more than 80%. Fashion Consulting Group's chief expert on assortment and trend forecasting, Galina Kravchenko, notes that international brands operating in the “middle plus” price segment have become “hostage to price.” “An increase in prices even by 30% (which less change exchange rate) moves their products to a different price category,” explains the expert. For example, stamps with an average price per pair of 6.5 thousand rubles, which were previously in the “middle plus” segment, with a price increase of 30% began to cost almost 8.5 thousand rubles - this is what they cost in 2014 shoes in the premium segment, Kravchenko gives an example.

The consulting company Euromonitor International expected that in 2015 the volume of the Russian footwear market (excluding sports shoes) will decrease by 6%, to 657.8 billion rubles, compared to 2014. According to Kravchenko, Russian companies are more stable in this situation, since they have the ability to respond faster to consumer opportunities...

Interesting information about the Ecco brand. Background information about the Ekko brand.

Company Ecco founded in 1963 in Denmark. The founder is Karl Toosby (to this day the company is owned by his family).

ECCO is the only major shoe company that independently handles all stages of the business: from cow to store shelf. First retail store Ekko was opened in 1982 in Denmark. Since then, the network has grown to more than 900 branded mono-brand outlets. The Ecco brand is recognized in more than 90 countries as a high-quality manufacturer of men's, women's and children's shoes.

Speaking about the situation in our Palestines, Ecco must be given its due: it is the only large chain of mono-brand shoe stores operating on behalf of a true brand, and not a werewolf. Amazing fact, but alas, requires clarification. About 8-10 years ago "Ekko" It was really high quality and to the point expensive European shoes. The only complaint against her then was the design of the models: “not for everybody.” But times changed, the country turned into what we have now: unbridled and stratified. General standards qualities and the inability of the people to choose and demand it prompted many foreign companies to sink to the level of consumer goods: they somehow need to compete with werewolves, but Russians have long been buying advertising, not things.

Today Russian Ecco is a marginal brand. These shoes are no longer as expensive compared to the rest. The models have become more “pop” - everyone will find something for themselves. The situation with quality is mysterious: most of the models appear to be well made, but a quick survey of friends revealed the following facts, for example:

“I seem to like Ecco for its quality and design, but I’m struggling with the size. For my 43.5, I always choose something more or less comfortable, but this one is either too big or too tight. But some boots still fit 43rd. I wear it, but I can’t say that I’m happy with it. Although they are all right, safe.” Alexander P.

“I bought sneakers last year to wear every day. But it’s like they have a constructive deformity in their backs: no matter what socks you wear, your feet tear off into bloody calluses. This is the first time this has happened to me. These are sneakers! The most comfortable shoes had to be!” Irina Z.

There are also reviews about shoes that have fallen apart and burst. Of course, there are many who are satisfied. It has not yet been possible to compare local Ecco with those produced for Europe, but there is every reason to believe that the quality is different (this situation occurs even with Lacoste).

Recently, Ecco has expanded its shoe range with shoe care accessories. Branded stores on every corner, in many cities of the Immense.

Prices for Ecco shoes for modern Russia quite adequate. Especially when you consider how difficult it is with quality and especially thoroughbred origin of their competitors. By the way, in Western online stores, prices for Ecco are comparable to ours, which is uncharacteristic, and speaks in favor of the version that prices are lowered by reducing production costs (that is, quality). After all, we won’t believe that comparable prices for some