Ecco history

By 1965, the company had already expanded its factory.

Word of the new type of shoe quickly reached the other Scandinavian markets, and in 1966 Eccolet began exporting shoes to Sweden, Finland, and Norway.

In 1968, for example, Eccolet produced its own version of the then fashionable knee-high boot.

1972: A successful line of clogs is launched.

The company's growing sales led it to expand its Bredebro factory again, stepping up production by some 20 percent in 1973.

1974 was marked by the beginning of the transfer of production to developing countries - a plant was opened in Brazil.

In 1978 Ecco launched a new range designed by Ejnar Truelsen called the 'Ecco Joke'. Ecco Joke was a large range or both men and women’s footwear featuring variations of the original moccasin style.

The launch of a new shoe design, Free, gave Eccolet a new hit in 1979.

The success of the Joker and Free designs helped carry the Ecco brand still farther abroad, and in 1981 the company agreed to license its brand to Japanese Achilles Corporation.

And in 1982, the first Ecco brand store opened in Denmark.

In 1983, the company oversaw the launch of the first Ecco store in Denmark.

In 1984, the company opened a new, larger production plant in Portugal.

In 1986, Eccolet set up a new, dedicated sales and distribution subsidiary in Sweden.

Eccolet's move into the United States came slowly, as the company began testing its designs in 1988.

1990: A full scale entry into the United States begins with the opening of a subsidiary in Massachusetts.

Ecco entered the Russian market in 1991; the same year was marked by obtaining the status of the official supplier of the royal court of Denmark.

Eccolet now began preparing the national rollout of the shoe brand, backed by new, sportier designs created to appeal to American tastes, such as the new Track outdoor shoe line launched in 1992.

1993: A joint-venture manufacturing and distribution subsidiary in Thailand is created.

In 1996 Ecco had moved onto producing quality golf shoes and its range continued to increase.

In 1998, the company launched its first flagship store, on Oxford Street in London.

1999: The company changes its name to Ecco Sko.

The company released a new line of mountain/hiking boots in 2000.

2001: Receptor sports shoe line is launched.

The success of the line encouraged Ecco to expand the series, adding golf shoes by 2003.

In 2004, the company prepared to take on industry leaders Nike, Reebok, and addidas with the launch of a new Receptor RXP series running shoe.

ECCO’s shoe factory in Xiamen, China, was established in 2005.

In 2008, ECCO's factories produced 13.117 million pairs of shoes.

In 2009, Ecco introduced new collection shoes for people leading an active lifestyle - Biom sneakers, designed taking into account the anatomical features of people's feet and positioned as the most comfortable sneakers on the market.

In 2011 Ecco comes to Kazakhstan.

While you can't put a price on comfort, Forbes estimates Ecco to be worth approximately $1.5 billion, making Hanni eligible for our worldwide billionaire rankings in 2013.

ECCO’s shoe factory in Binh Duong, Vietnam, is the newest of ECCO’s shoe factories; established on a trial basis in 2015.