Name: Dhikra Yagoubi and Christophe Arathoon
Where are you from originally: Dhikra from Tunisia and Christophe from French Alps
Tell us about your favourite place in Phnom Penh:
Christophe: I enjoy taking a boat and admire the sunset on the city from the Mekong. I also enjoy to go climbing to Phnom Penh Climbing Community in TTP then going out in the area for a nice dinner and a drink.
Dhikra: My favorite place is the riverside where I go for early run on Sunday, enjoying the empty city, the cool weather and of course the sunrise!
When did you launch Yekowave: We started working on the project in November 2019 to finally start the sales in November 2020
What’s the story or inspiration behind your brand: We are two sport, travel and outdoor lovers that wanted to live from their passions. We met in China but it is only once we were in Cambodia that we felt that it was the right country and the right moment to create our business. Our experience in China was very inspiring, we saw that the people as well as the environment were not taken into account in Chinese factories and companies, businesses are only profit-driven. Since, then we have been thinking, how could we help the employees to have better working conditions and how we take care of our environment, where we can practice our hobby, sports! We wanted our values to be present in our business that is why Yekowave’s values are:
- Transparency
- Yekommunity
- We do what we love, we love what we do
- Sport Promotion
- Positive waves
- Alternative solutions in manufacturing
Where does the name come from: Yekowave stands for:
Y => our dedication to offer the best products and service to YOU: our clients
Eko => Eco-friendly
Wave => to remember the nature and the sea waves
- To evocate the move of the body while doing sport
- The positive impact we want to have on our supply chain
What’s the plan for the next year for Yekowave:
- Launching the men’s collection and a new women's line
- Developing new product ranges with more innovative materials
- Further sports events organization to make Yekomunity happier and bigger
- Promoting sustainability and eco-friendly behaviors with our Green Station’s partner
- Developing locally-made eco-friendly fabrics with local raw materials
- Expanding Yekowave globally and internationally
Name one thing you cannot find in Cambodia and that you miss:
Christophe: the snow
Dhikra: The mountains and landscapes, where I come form in Tunisia.
If you could have any product from the SATU collection (other than your own), what would it be:
Christophe: Products from the Zero Waste collection. It is important to reduce waste.
Dhikra: Only one Planet
What was the last gift you gave someone:
Christophe: A new pen… to Dhikra
Dhikra: Yekowave T shirt to a friend
After answering these questions, you walk outside and find $1,000 on your doorstep. What would you spend it on:
Christophe: I would travel in Cambodia promoting Sport/Yekowave and would support nature & wildlife conservation projects. I still would keep a part to buy cheese ;)
Dhikra: I would organize an eco sport race for Cambodian in the countryside.
Discover the Yekowave Collection here.