Arkk Copenhagen’s sporty aesthetic stands out in the sea of fashion kicks.
The hottest new name in the sneaker game isn’t even interested in sports.
Arkk Copenhagen is built for today’s lifestyle-dominant sneaker world. While other brands rely on heritage performance styles, the young Denmark-based label is birthed solely from a love of sporty aesthetics.
“We don’t look at what others are doing but keep creating products that are true to our DNA, which comes from lifestyle and design more than from sports,” said co-founder and creative director Kasper Høj Rasmussen.
The brand entered the sneaker market in 2015 with looks for men and women inspired by modern streetwear style, and in three years, its business has increased 250 percent. In 2018 alone, Arkk confirmed it expects 30 percent year-over-year growth.
Its most popular style is the Raven sneaker, which comes in multiple versions featuring mesh, knit and nubuck uppers. The entire Arkk collection retails for $110 to $210.
Aside from its e-commerce site, Arkkcopenhagen.com, the label’s athleisure styles can be found in roughly 500 stores in more than 30 countries. Before year’s end, Arkk will be in three new markets: the U.S., Canada and Australia.
However, competing in the hypercompetitive sneaker market does pose difficulties.
“The very simple, yet hard, challenge is to make the people of the world aware that Arkk exists,” said co-founder and CEO Thomas Refdahl. “Even though our presence on social media is already significant, it’s a big world, and we are only getting started.”
To boost its brand awareness, Arkk will continue to rely on social media to tell its story and work with retail partners to create unique consumer experiences.
“By delivering a cohesive brand message out of our headquarters in Copenhagen, whilst activating local teams across key fashion hubs, we’re able to deliver a global lifestyle with an organic focus,” Refdahl said.
And the brand is also confident that its upcoming product is strong enough to secure more customers.
For spring ’19, Arkk will launch kicks with its new PWR55 midsole, which boasts an aggressive look and is built for all-day comfort. Also, the season will feature silhouettes capitalizing on the chunky trend, plus a women’s-only version for the female sneaker fanatic.