AKME IS A LA-BASED AMERICAN LUXURY FOOTWEAR BRAND THAT ABANDONS THE RESTRICTIONS OF COMMERCIALISM AND SOCIETAL SYSTEMS TO EMBRACE THE SINGULAR NUANCE OF EACH PRODUCT AND THE STORY BEHIND IT.
AKME IS A BRAINCHILD OF DESIGNER JESUS AND CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS FCP ALUMNA RIKO. SHARING THE ROLE OF THE BRAND'S CREATIVE DIRECTION, JESUS HEADS UP THE PRODUCT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT WHILE RIKO IS AT THE HELM OF BRANDING, VISUAL ART DIRECTION. THE CLOSE COLLABORATION THAT FOCUSES ON STORYTELLING AND QUALITY RESULTS IN A BRAND THAT SURPASSES THE CONSUMERIST APPROACH AND CREATES AN EXPERIENCE ALONGSIDE THE PRODUCTS THAT ARE HANDCRAFTED TO LAST.
AKME APPROACHES ITS COLLECTIONS AS AN ALBUM, A BODY OF WORK THAT AIMS TO OPEN UP CONVERSATIONS AND REVEL IN THE DARKNESS OF TODAY, CATALYSING "A MOVEMENT THAT MOVES TOWARDS FIXING". MERGING THE FAMILY HISTORIES OF THE FOUNDING DUO, AKME PROPOSES A ROADMAP OF "SURVIVAL TACTICS" IN THE WAR-RIDDEN WORLD OF CHAOS HEADING TOWARDS IMMINENT DESTRUCTION.
AKME POSITIONS ITSELF SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A PLATFORM AND A BRAND, REDEFINING THE NOTION OF WHAT A MODERN-DAY BRAND IS AND WHAT IT CAN BE. AS DIAZ PUTS IT, “AKME IS NOT A LUXURY FOOTWEAR BRAND, IT’S NOT A TECHNICAL BRAND, IT’S NOT A FASHION BRAND, AND IT’S NOT JUST ANOTHER FOOTWEAR BRAND. TECHNICALLY, THIS IS A
BASTARD CHILD OF ALL OF IT.”