Ecco history

ECCO was established in 1963 by Karl Toosbuy in the small town of Bredebro in southern Denmark.

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.