Koio began with a journey: a quest to bridge the finest old world craftsmanship with the aesthetic of young New York. We want to connect the artistry of luxury
Source: Our vision | KOIO
As a former shoe company owner, I guess I’m not a former I’m just on hiatus, it always amazes me to see new companies. In my daily browsing I ran across KOIO and discovered that the brand started in 2014 by Johannes and Chris (great name). The guys are based out of New York, but their footwear is manufactured in Italy.
Italy based companies tout handcrafted footwear that takes 4 hours a pair to craft. The shoes are made from premium Italian leather in Civitanova.
Any new footwear company has the same issues, inventory and customer acquisition. Every small article is welcomed as many people will only know you based on hearsay. It doesn’t matter how premium or well crafted your product is, if you aren’t spending an inordinate amount of time creating content to drive engagement you end up looking for any way to recoup your cash to create the next line up for the spring or fall. It’s a giant hamster wheel that keeps turning so your passion for what you do better be high, very high.
Will KOIO be a success? That isn’t for me to say. Shoes like Common Projects and CLAE are in demand right now and if the right person comes along and wears your product on IG, anything can happen. In the meantime check out this video and visit the site if you’re interested.
Twitter @KoioCollective