Childhood friends Jonathan Hirschfeld and Max Schiller were in search for the perfect shoe when they created Eytys (pronounced like “80’s” with the two “Y”s to reference Generation Y). Little did they know, their shoes would create a cult-like, sneaker sensation.
The duo ran their first business when they were just 12 years old in their hometown of Stockholm. Hirshfeld went on to study business at the University of Stockholm while Schiller gained experience at the first standalone Acne boutique and then worked under creative director Jonny Johansson.
With Eytys, they started out with one model, the Mother, a platform sneaker with a thick rubber-and-cork sole and a sleek upper. The aim? To make shoes that deliver on quality and comfort but at an affordable price – shoes you’d want to keep coming back to.
Unisex is significant to their design ethos. “We’ve never understood the point of sneakers as something gender specific,” explains Schiller. Today, the brand has broadened its range of materials and styles, including its latest, the Ace, which references classic tennis shoes.
Although the brand saw success rather quickly, it did not happen without any challenges. A cargo ship, which was carrying their entire first collection, broke in half and sunk in the Indian Ocean. Things began looking up in 2014 when Eytys secured 60 stockists such as Dover Street Market and LN-CC. In the same spontaneous manner in which they launched the brand, the duo established their first stand-alone store in Stockholm including books and interior pieces alongside their shoes.
For their Autumn Winter 2016 campaign, they persuaded their screen idol, Michael Madsen to get with the Eytys vibe. He was shot in Stockholm by collaborator Kristin Lee Moolman in the brand's newest shoe silhouette, Jet.
"I've been a fan of Michael since watching Reservoir Dogs as a kid,” says Schiller. “The film scared the shit out of me but Madsen's role as Mr Blonde had me captured. Seeing Kristin Lee work with Michael was magnetic...two very strong personalities and an unexpected but mesmerising match.”
We caught up with Schiller to find out how a cult brand is born.
Q: How did you and Jonathan meet?
A: We’ve been friends since our early teens when we met outside a party where neither of us could get in, so we ended up spending the night at McDonalds instead. Later we went to High School together where we designed and sold school merchandise. We put the school logo on the asses of track suits – it was an instant success as all the girls wanted to be Paris Hilton at the time.
Michael Madsen
Q: How did you both come up with the idea of creating Eytys?
A: I was looking for a pair of sneakers that I couldn’t find and started to sketch my dream pair. I presented the idea to Jonathan during a trip to Japan and before we were back home, we both decided to quit our jobs and pursue the Eytys dream.
Q: Can you talk about the Mother, your label’s original sneaker?
A: The Mother sneaker - our ’Mothership' - has all the qualities we couldn’t find in other sneakers. It’s no-fuss, very minimal and unisex but everything is there for a reason (the purple tab at the back is one example, double-working as a shoehorn). The robust rubber soles give the Mother sneaker its signature boldness.
Q: Why is Keith Haring a constant source of inspiration?
A: Keith Haring had a way to infuse politics with humor and vice versa - a powerful combination that I find very appealing.
Q: Can you tell us about your past collaborations such as the one with Esther Mahlangu and Sasha Kurmaz?
A: Our starting point is always the quality of the work, never the depth or medium the person works through. Esther Mahlangu is a mesmerizing human - I’ve never met anyone with such a strong presence. Our project with Sasha was intense - we traveled to Kyiv in the middle of the Ukrainian turmoil to portray local youth culture in a time of political violence.
Q: Can you talk about what you had in mind when you designed your first stand-alone boutique?
A: Our Stockholm store is inspired by two of our favourite designers - Shiro Kuramata and Xavier Corbero. The interior is based on postmodernism and Brutalist architecture, built on a foundation of monochrome colours and heavy materials.
Q: Who, alive or dead, would you want to see wearing your designs?
A: Difficult question. Keith Haring definitely comes to mind quickly.
Q: What are some of the influences for the Spring Summer 2017 collection?
A: We’ve looked at our childhood memories and the shoes we dreamed of as teenagers. To be continued…
Eytys is available on Eytys.com
Text by Nada Ghaffar