From Hide to High Street

At ECCO, we believe in controlling our processes and checking our products down to the smallest detail. This is possible because ECCO – as probably the world’s only major shoe company – owns and controls the whole shoemaking process from hide to High Street. From design and leather craftsmanship to production, quality testing and sales, ECCO controls every step of the shoemaking process, ensuring the high ECCO quality.

Design

It all begins at ECCO’s Design Centre. ECCO’s designers search for inspiration from many sources. The pure nature surrounding our Design Centre is always our starting point.

Fashion, art, architecture, cars – inspiration can come from anywhere. But our consistent dedication to Scandinavian design and the ECCO heritage is unique to all our shoes.

No shoe ever leaves the Design Centre without first being checked for lightness, softness, flexibility, comfort and fit.

Product Development

We constantly challenge the boundaries of comfort, innovative shoe design and the market’s best quality. This requires uncompromising product development in which every detail from design to production is carefully planned and monitored.

Gifted shoemakers and engineers are responsible for converting the innovative ideas of ECCO designers into fully specified prototypes.

Our product development units in Denmark and Portugal supply ECCO tanneries and shoe factories with detailed instructions on how to produce materials and shoes that live up to our high standards and our consumers’ expectations.

Making Leather

ECCO’s most important raw material is first-class leather. This is why ECCO owns and operates state-of-the-art tanneries in Europe and in Asia, as well as our own leather development and design centre.

ECCO also provides quality leather to other high-end brands in the leather goods industry. The ECCO Leather Group is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of quality leather – approximately half of our leather production is sold to other companies and brands.

Making Shoes

Quality, comfort and style are the hallmarks of ECCO shoes. Our production technology is unique to the business. After having been stitched by thousands of meticulous craftsmen in our factories, the shoe upper is placed in a mould, where the sole is fused directly to the upper under heat and high pressure.

Distribution

With over 20,000,000 pairs of shoes sold each year, effective distribution to ECCO’s markets is vital. We produce shoes in both Europe and Asia - close to most of our main markets.

Our integrated supply chain ensures that our distribution partners and our own stores receive deliveries where and when needed. Our global distribution system also supports the increasing demands for rapid delivery to online shoppers.

Stores

Every day thousands of consumers enter one of 1,100 ECCO stores or 14,000 other selling points across the world. Our success depends on their experience in the stores. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Finding the right shoe with the right fit is crucial. Trained staff in the stores always aim to pick the perfect pair of shoes for you.

Find a store

ECCO Portugal

In 1984, ECCO established a production subsidiary in João de Vêr, Portugal. This site was ECCO’s first owned and operated shoe factory outside Denmark. Portugal was at the time already a major player in the European footwear industry, which made it easy to recruit specialist staff.  Large-scale production ceased in 2009 due to tough Asian competition. However, in 2012 ECCO restarted production in Portugal as closeness to European markets became increasingly important. Many previous employees returned to put their shoemaking skills into practice once again.

ECCO Thailand

Our shoe factory in Ayutthaya, just north of Bangkok, was established in 1993. Thailand was chosen due to its significant support industries and the high level of shoe industry craftsmanship.

In October 2011, severe flooding hit Thailand and ECCO’s factory. One third of ECCO’s total production for the Spring/Summer 2012 season had to be reallocated from Thailand to other ECCO production units and external suppliers.

Production in Ayutthaya was restarted already in March 2012, and by May 2012, ECCO was producing more than half its normal output in Thailand. In a remarkable effort throughout 2012, ECCO production staff from Ayutthaya travelled four hours by bus every day to operate a temporary factory.