Ecco Taps Natacha Ramsay-Levi as First Creative Partner
LONDON — Natacha Ramsay-Levi is adding fresh energy to Ecco, one of Denmark’s best-known footwear brands, as its first creative partner.
An announcement is expected Thursday.
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Ramsay-Levi, who has a long history in luxury goods, and is a former creative director of the Richemont-owned Chloé, will work with Ecco for four seasons.
Her first “NRL” collection for Ecco drops this week, and the next one will arrive in early 2024.
The creative partner role is a new one for Ecco, which is known for its supple leather boots and shoes and styles that range from the sporty to the urban.
Going forward, Ecco plans to invite a series of designers to create collections over a two-year period.
Ramsay-Levi’s first drop features 15 styles that riff on some of Ecco’s signature, soft leather designs.
She has fused different styles, adding a chunky, sneaker sole to a ballerina flat, and transforming a Chelsea style boot with a patchwork of bright color.
She’s also given a dash of glamour to other boot styles, adding chunky heels; playing with proportions; or injecting shades such as bright pink, or lipstick red.
This isn’t the first time that Ramsay-Levi has worked with the Danish brand.
She was among the first cohort taking part in Ecco’s At.Kollektive project, which introduced a variety of leather-loving designers to Ecco’s research, development and manufacturing expertise, and asked them to dream up creations for the brand.
Ecco, which was founded in 1963, is a family-owned, vertically integrated business that manufactures and sells footwear for men, women and children.
It operates 2,000 stores worldwide and its annual revenue is 1.7 billion euros. Around 30 percent of the production is based in Europe, with the remaining 70 percent in the Far East. Ecco owns its factories and controls every step of the supply chain.
Ramsay-Levi stepped down from Chloé in December 2020, having brought an edgy élan to the brand during her four years there.
She also helped the house develop a more purpose-driven business model hinged on social sustainability and aiding the advancement of women.
She joined Chloé in 2017 from Louis Vuitton, where she had been creative director of women’s ready-to-wear since 2013.
The designer started her fashion career at Balenciaga in 2002, and rose through the design ranks to become Nicolas Ghesquière’s top design deputy.
When he exited Balenciaga in 2013, she went on to consult for several brands, including Hermès and Acne Studios, before rejoining Ghesquière at Vuitton.
Working with Ramsay-Levi is part of an overall refresh for Ecco, which is also launching a new ad campaign and has refurbished 15 flagship stores worldwide with a new design concept.
It has also opened a new boutique in SoHo, New York designed in partnership with architecture firm Stimuli, and revamped its website, which is mobile first and meant to be more intuitive.
In an interview at the newly refurbished London Oxford Street store, Ecco’s chief executive officer Panos Mytaros said the aim is to modernize the brand, “and to bring in new customers.”
Perched on a blue sofa covered in the brand’s signature cushioned leather, Mytaros said the new store format puts the product in the spotlight and aims to give customers the space to browse, breathe and get inspired.
The brand has also launched an ad campaign based on family, with the aim of forging “a more genuine relationship with our customers. We want to engage with them, and especially with our female consumers,” said Mytaros.
He said the definition of family is fluid, and the campaign wants to connect with as wide a variety as possible.
Ecco hired the photographer Sean Thomas to focus on three families for the campaign, the pro-rider and stuntman Travis Pastrana and his wife, the pro-skateboarder Lyn-Z Pastrana with their daughters; the Japanese model and actor Kiko Mizuhara, with her sister Ashley Yuka; and the English singer and producer PinkPantheress with her childhood best friend, Bleona.
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