Leida Pello: What is the story behind Scheckmann and why only men’s footwear?

Sille Sikmann: In 2011, I did an internship in Hungary and I went on with the idea of doing shoes for men. I had never done them; all the previous shoes I had done for myself. During the internship, I started thinking about the subject how the choice for men is little yet awesome/cool. Most of the shoes are done for women, all those crazy patterns, glitter and everything else. However, what do men really want? Do they really want only black and brown shoes? And once I came back from Hungary I decided to look into it. During the market research for the Tartu Centre for Creative Industries, it turned out that men really are interested in a men’s shoe brand.

The reason I am solely concentrating on men is my surname. A client asked why I do not use my surname for the brand. My name is Sikmann so someone might interpret it as ‘sick man’. But then I remembered I have this old story. This is my old Baltic-German surname and in translation it means ‘chic man’ and then the client said that this is the best name I could have for my brand. And that is how the brand got its name and all the possibilities emerged. I assume once I find the right pace and everything regarding the brand is thought through then I will start thinking about women too.

LP: How long does it take to do one pair: from the idea to completion?

SS: It depends. I do everything myself. I have to take care of the business side while also doing the work of ten people: cleaning, designing and everything else. The record is finishing a pair in a month. However, it could take from three months to a year as I have a waiting list and I also try to take part in competitions and exhibitions. Then I also want to rest from time to time, so the duration of the process tends to be relative. Sometimes it really does take a year. Men are patient. I assume with women it is more complicated.

LP: What is the design process like?

SS: I usually ask the client whether he has a vision of what he wants to get or he says what kind of boots did he like from my webpage. However, I do not do exactly the same ones. So we either choose the colour or I ask what kind of colours he likes. Then, I look at this person from head to toe and try to imagine what would look good on his feet. Some men do say whether they prefer laces or a zip, and then I try to sketch him something. There are some who do a research online and then say something like ‘oh I would like the boots to have cool old fashioned boot hooks’ or ‘I want the boots with buttons.’

I do have a pair of boots I would love to do. I saw them in a dream and I cannot wait to do them. I have no idea whether it is even possible or not. But they do have a similar aesthetic as everything else I have done. I would not do drastic changes to my brand. As the British fashion consultant Anna Orsini told me during the London Fashion Showcase in 2014, ‘keep on doing what you are doing, the same classic that you have shown to people and once you are famous you can do whatever you want. Then you can do glasses and perfumes or whatever else you want.’ I have tried to adhere to a style that in its core is not that modern, but is a modern take on a classic, something that would never get out-dated. I want it to have some sort of a trick, I love quirky things.