Interview with Matthieu Pinon, Head of the French footwear company Anaki

ANAKI FOOTWEAR: TAILOR MADE & MADE IN EUROPE

At Who’s Next last September, one of the brands belonging to EMY: Anaki Paris, showcased their collection. The brand offers their own line collaborating with factories in Spain and Portugal, and today they have a design studio dedicated to creating the “ideal” shoes, dreamt-up by their clients. The studio is located on the banks of Canal St Martin, the Parisian district of effervescence and diversity.

Mathieu Pinon, what can you tell us about Anaki? Anaki was launched 10 years ago, and it is a brand creating shoes for urban women of all ages. These shoes are perfect for any time of the day, to wear in the city but also on holiday. We focused on the need for women to have a pair of sandals they can wear to work but also on the beach. We have been “white-labelling” for other brands for years, and so we decided to take the plunge with our own brands: Anaki Paris, Canal St Martin, Apologie Paris and Flavio Création. Anaki in 3 words. Comfort, quality and elegance. What are your sources of inspiration? To get inspired we turn to the women around us, those that we see in the street, the urban women of Paris. We also have a lot of discussions with our stylists about trends and ideas we can incorporate into our designs. What is your signature piece? At the beginning, Anaki was mainly known for its boots. But right now, the signature piece are our Clémence sandals. Thin leather straps on the foot, a high heel but not too high, and padding in the front to ensure the greatest comfort. What advice would you give to people who want to launch into the world of design with their brand and want to take part in Who’s Next to gain visibility? It is important to take part in a tradeshow like this one, but you have to make sure you arrive with a good understanding of the market. It is not enough to just be present at the show to trigger sales. To target the relevant people, you have to do some work beforehand concerning your target market; do not hesitate to make an appointment with as many buyers as possible. How to not go unnoticed nowadays? I think that it is all a question of how desirable your brand is. A brand universe is essential, so that the customer can transport themselves into it. Tell us about your experience at Who’s Next and what opportunities you have gained from the tradeshow? We have been coming to this tradeshow for almost 10 years and it has given us a lot. We meet quality customers that we wouldn’t see elsewhere! Above all, it has enabled us to enter the international market, even nearby in Europe. I can really say that Who's Next has opened the doors to international business for us. An anecdote? A memory? An encounter at Who’s Next? I’ve got many anecdotes to tell. Good memories as well as difficulties: what about when our entire collection was delivered the morning of the tradeshow or a truck filled with our prototypes was stolen. But every time, everything ends up going well. Upcoming projects? We are going to prioritise the digital side of things, to ensure it compliments real-time sales, and to make the whole system more efficient. We also want to always be working on our communication.