Inkkas

It's been awhile since I've waited for this post to be published and I'm very happy to share it with you. During the fashion weeks relaxing I run into Inkkas website I asked them if they wanted to make an interview for me.
They actually did and also sent me amazing shoes. Despite having a wet weather here I still wore them during the weekend and totally inlove. In this post you can find a little preview for them.
Inkkas shoes are incredibly comfomfortable and soft, the pattern is very bright and cheerful (see the image - make it x2).
I also want to highlight that each Inkkas shoe is handmade by local artisans here at their small workshop in Peru and they try (and succeed) to make every pair with care and love. Inkkas also donate 10% of every shoe we sell to help preserve and protect the Amazon rainforest and its native inhabitants through our partnership with AmazonWatch (www.amazonwatch.org).

I took an interview from Inkkas founder Danny who happens to be a great person both to talk to. And besides the founder of such a great shop simply can't be bad.
1 How did you create your start-up idea? Was there something (an event may be) which pushed you to do it?

The idea was inspired by a trip to South America. During the trip I saw artisans producing shoes with beautiful South American fabrics. I immediately fell in love with shoes and I decided to help manufacture the shoes and bring them to the US and Europe. I think the concept of not only creating my own company but being able to give back as well really appealed to me. Before I founded the company I decided that we would donate 10% of every sale to help preserve and protect the Amazon rainforest and that is something that has really inspired me to push forward with the project as well.

2 what was you job before Inkkas start-up?
My previous job was in international relations and journalism. I had been working in that field for 4 years before starting the company, but I have always been interested in fashion, design and culture so this is natural extension for me in many ways, even though its very different from my previous line of work.

3 how did the pilot Innkas shoe look like? And was it actually a shoe?
The original shoe had a much lower quality plastic sole, which we replaced with a high-quality 100% rubber sole. We also made several improvements to the insole, the shape and the fabric selection to really make the shoe stand out. The model we sell today is the result of many hours of hard work spent perfecting the exact design, techniques and materials used to handcraft each shoe.

4 Tell us a little about closet future Inkkas plans.
We just released our new Low top collection which is really awesome because we've had a few people contact us and say "Hey, we love your shoes but why don't you have them in a low top style". We listened to them, created the low-tops and here we are! We are also in the process of partnering with several retail locations in the US and Europe.

5 A little survey for Inside and Outside blog: some say talented in fashion people usually try to make their toys look better (repainting for example) did you do something like that? And if you did then what?
When I was a kid I was constantly obsessed with building and creating new things and I think that this desire to create something new and imaginative never really left me. Inkkas is more than just a company for me, it's an outlet for my creative expression. I honestly don't know where we are headed next, but the beautiful tribal patterns and fabrics we use are so imaginative and inspiring, whatever we do it will be exciting!