The story behind

Epoke [eˈpo:gə] is the Danish word for epoch or era – a particular period of time in history or a person’s life.

The woman behind Epoke Copenhagen, Pernille Askman explains: “The idea was to create a range of shoes to celebrate all occasions of a woman’s life: a new job, client or perhaps a new romance are all events that can trigger a woman’s desire for a new pairs of shoes”.

Shoes, design and entrepreneurship runs in the family and the urge to create was always there, but is wasn’t until Pernille was asked by a client to design a biker boot that she got inspired to start her own label. “Seeing the prototype made me realize how satisfying it was to produce my own designs. But more importantly, my passion for shoe design became crystal clear”, says Pernille.

Born and raised in Copenhagen Denmark, it was only natural for Pernille to include her origins in the brand name. In fact, the city of Copenhagen has been a great source of inspiration for her ever since she founded Epoke Copenhagen in 2010. “Most often I get my inspiration from the beautiful leather materials which I pick up at exhibitions in Italy. But I am also influenced by observing people in the street and talking to women about shoes and fashion”, reveals Pernille.

The collection is a beautiful range of shoes in luxurious leather materials that feels great to wear on a daily basis for business or for pleasure. Sexy, yet comfortable. Classic, yet fresh. All shoes are individually made and hand-stitched by renowned shoemakers in Italy, who put great effort into important details like the fit, balance and finish of each pair.

“To me, look & feel go hand in hand. The comfort primarily comes from creating the perfect shoe-last for the design and that is a skill the Italians have mastered to perfection. As I see it, there’s no need for Pretty if your shoes are uncomfortable, and all you can think of is when you can kick them off “, concludes Pernille.

Pernille graduated in Design from Portfolio Center in Atlanta in 2000. In the spring of 2012, she moved to Sydney, Australia, where she’s currently working on her next collection.