With the ekn Kamthala we did not only create the world’s first sneaker designed in Bangladesh and produced in Europe but also a campaign to make a statement of self-empowerment and strong women. We showed that the narrative of the Global South can be seen differently. And we achieved this by letting people and communities be part of the bigger discussion. That’s how our message was spread all over the world and the ekn Kamthala became the start of a movement.

For decades the fashion industry has been characterized by exploitation and repression of workers in the Global South. This remains the basis upon which countless international fashion companies generate their profits.

We believe that the world is only truly fair when people in the so-called developing countries have the same opportunities as the industrialized nations do.

So our idea was to turn the typical supply chain upside down and to demonstrate that designers, fashion trends and subcultures in countries we didn’t pay attention to, can offer us new, enriching opportunities.

We wanted to create more awareness for all those talents that hide anywhere on this planet and have been ignored way too long.

As a small, unknown shoe brand, we made the first step towards rethinking and changing the perspective of the creative potential of the Global South. We worked with an unknown female designer and changed the narrative about the so-called producing countries.

So, Rokaiya Ahmed Purna created the ekn Kamthala – the first sneaker designed in Bangladesh, made in Europe.

We started with our teaser film and promoted the sneaker on our social media channels so that the entire German and international media landscape talked about our campaign. Also, Influencers and content creators shared the shoe within their communities and started a big discussion.

With “Designed in Bangladesh. Made in Europe” we created a sneaker that stands for respect, self-empowerment, strong women and the disruption of a whole category.

We demonstrated that countries we used not to pay attention to, can offer us new, enriching opportunities. And we showed: creativity does not stop at national borders.

With our message we want to reach as many groups as possible: People with an affinity for fashion or shoes, but of course also the general public and the general population. But we also want to encourage start-ups, new fashion brands and established fashion companies to rethink their approach.

Once our launch started, the entire German and international media landscape heard about our campaign. At the same time, influencers and content creators engaged in topics such as sustainability or fair fashion made bold statements and supported our ekn Kamthala.

Allthough we had literally no budget to spend, a large number of online magazines, journals, influencers and other supporting personalities followed our call, initiating a viral discussion both online and offline.

The sneaker has been available since 10 January 2023, when it was launched. But the campaign is still running.

Ekn wants to ensure minimal environmental impact and maximum attention to detail. That’s why the ekn Kamthala was limited to 150 pieces. And all proceeds were donated.

We didn’t expect anything, but the impact was even bigger than we dreamed. With our vision of challenging the fashion industry we had our finger firmly on the pulse. Content creators, magazines and online communities started a big discussion. We reached more than 140 million people with our message and achieved +1600% more engagement on the ekn social media channels.

Right after our sneaker campaign had hit the market, we noticed a sales increase of 35% and 70% more users on our ekn Footwear website. Rokaiya Ahmed Purna became a face for change in Bangladesh and worldwide. Forbes wrote about her: one of South Asia’s leading fashion designers from Bangladesh. She increased her social media reach by +650% and became a spokeswoman against fashion industry for CNN and others.