We visited the tiny Danish town behind one of the world's biggest shoe brands
Someone recently told me: "Learning is doing". As a visual learner, this landed differently than most advice does — particularly as a fashion editor who juggles many plates and many clients. There's only so much you can read about a brand to truly understand what it is, what it does, and where it came from.
For years, Remix and I have been lucky to work with Danish footwear pioneer ECCO — learning about its heritage, its innovative technology, and its timeless Scandi-inspired silhouettes. But as one of Denmark's most established brands, with a growing global presence, was I only scratching the surface?
Spoiler: yes.
A few months ago, ECCO invited me to visit their headquarters in Tønder, southern Denmark — a small rural town of just 7,477 people, sitting on the border of Germany — to get a taste of who they are as a brand, and, perhaps more importantly, to meet the people behind it—the integral cogs of an impressively well-oiled machine.
Upon arriving at the ECCO Convention Centre, I was greeted — naturally — by a large foot sculpture standing proudly on a grassy headland. My gracious host, Vivi, explained without prompt: "The foot is the starting point for everything ECCO creates. Our shoes always follow the foot."
This foot-first philosophy drives everything ECCO does and stands for. Where many brands design from the outside in, ECCO goes against the grain — designing from the inside out — to ensure out-of-the-box comfort from first wear to last, without ever sacrificing style. I put the theory into practice myself, lacing into a pair of the recently released ECCO Biom 720 Breathru — a collaboration with designer and longstanding partner Natasha Ramsay-Levi — for a day spent exploring the Convention Centre, the archive room, and Schackenborg Castle. The brilliant use of colour and tongueless design won me over immediately; the inbuilt cushioning and step-responsive technology sealed the deal.
But comfort is far from the only thing that sets ECCO apart. ECCO fully owns its entire development process — a rare feat in footwear today. From the initial concept to hand-crafted shoe lasts; from the patented PU injection process to rigorous testing (500,000 flexes, 300,000 sweat simulations), every stage of development is completed in-house, in Denmark. If it isn't perfect, it goes back to the drawing board. There's no pride in settling — only in being the best.
The open-plan layout of the recently refurbished Global Development Engineering space reflects this ethos, encouraging collaboration and communication across departments, so that each team can follow a master prototype's journey from start to finish. On one wall, I spotted an artwork depicting a building site of sorts — an army of workers tinkering away on a giant shoe. Vivi smiled when I noticed it. "It's said that 200 pairs of hands will touch one pair of shoes before it's finished."
Seeing this firsthand — the sheer dedication that every ECCO employee brings to their work — is something else entirely. They're proud people, and genuine experts in their craft. ECCO's global recognition, it turns out, is entirely unsurprising.
What did surprise me, though, was why a business operating across more than 100 markets worldwide chooses to keep its headquarters in such an unassuming, remote corner of the world. The answer, I learnt, is family. Tønder was ECCO's birthplace. When founders Birte and Karl Toosbuy placed an advertisement in the local newspaper in 1962 — "Who wants us?" — local farmers and businesspeople from nearby Bredebro responded, helping establish the family's place within the community. That community continued to rally behind them; in turn, ECCO gave back wherever it could, and still does to this day.
At the ECCO museum, I learnt that the founder's daughter, Hanni Toosbuy, modelled for the brand in the 1970s. Today, she runs it. She is just one of many with ECCO woven through their family tree. Vivi's mother worked for the company for 42 years, starting as a seamstress before moving into quality control and travelling globally to work with machinists. Others have clocked 30, 40, even 50 years — a tenure almost unheard of in today's revolving door of employment. Others are getting their start in the company, undergoing training and development after school. 
Over a final lunch of smørrebrød at Schackenborg Castle Inn — where Vivi's son works as a chef — we talked about the notoriously wild Tønder weather, her three children's futures, and what's coming up in her work. She was relaxed and content, speaking of ECCO as you would of family. No scripted sales pitch. No recited press releases. Just genuine affection for a brand that has given her, and the people she loves, a wealth of opportunity and growth.
Vivi was right — learning is doing. ECCO has always rewarded the curious — it's what brought a whole community together in 1963, and what keeps them there still.
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