Outstanding Stories: Chapter #1 – Fishing for KUMIs

Posted by KUMI Sneakers on

Hey outstanders,

I'm Alex and today I’m kicking off this Outstanding Stories series with a story that truly touched my heart. This space is meant to share things that come straight from the heart — little stories and moments that give meaning to KUMI.

And today’s story is one of those that begins with a random message... and ends with two fishing rods, a pair of sneakers, and three people who don’t speak the same language having coffee together.

Sounds weird?
Totally. But it’s 100% KUMI.

A blind meet-up that (almost) didn’t happen

It all started when Marta, a Ukrainian content creator living in Palma, messaged us on Instagram. She said she loved KUMI and would love to create content for us. And if you know us, you know we’re always open to new ideas.

We arranged to meet for the first time at a café in the city center. We had never met. I went upstairs without knowing what she looked like (I usually check people’s Instagram before meeting them so I know who to look for — to avoid that awkward moment of scanning every face in the room).
But of course… the one day I didn’t do that, I walk up the stairs and… no one looks like Marta. There were some friends chatting, a couple, a girl with her laptop… I scanned the room, searching for someone who could be her… but nothing. No one was looking up. No one seemed to be waiting.
I even went up to the girl with the laptop and asked: “Marta?” — she shook her head.

I started sweating and panicking. I texted:
“Hi Marta, I’m here but I don’t see you.”
Then I saw someone pick up their phone.
She replied:
“I’m also here.”
And I thought: okay… this is it. I’ve been tricked. Marta doesn’t exist.

Until she sent one last message that changed the whole story:
“I think we’re not in the same café. I’m coming over.”

It turns out there were two identical cafés on the same street.
And to top it off, it was raining.
We finally met outside, and ran together through the rain to the quietest café.

We didn’t speak the same language, but we totally connected

How is that possible?
It’s like when you think you speak better English after two shots of tequila — it’s not the language, it’s the courage. You find a way to connect because you relax and allow yourself to just try.
That’s exactly how it felt with Marta.

She barely spoke Spanish.
I don’t speak Ukrainian.
And English wasn’t an option either.
But somehow, we understood each other perfectly.

We sat down and started sharing stories — mostly about being first-time moms.
I told her about KUMI, and we clicked right away.
She told me she had worked as a police officer in Ukraine (wow — I did NOT expect that), that they hadn’t been able to go back since the war started, but thankfully they had family here and were slowly building a new life.

When she tried on her KUMI Bordeaux, her eyes lit up.
And right after, she shared a story on Instagram… (with her KUMIs coming out of the washing machine — please don’t try this at home! 😂)

An unexpected idea... with two fishing rods

A few days later, she messaged me again.
Her Spanish, translated by Google, made it even more adorable:
“Hello, I have an idea. Watch this video, we can do it with KUMI.”

It was a video of people fishing...
and she wanted to do it with sneakers!

She had two fishing rods. And loads of enthusiasm.
So without even hesitating, I said:
“What day works for you?”

A multilingual shoot & curious stares

We met up one morning to shoot the video. Luckily, she brought a friend... but her friend only spoke English.
Marta didn’t speak English — only a little Spanish.
Between the two of them, they spoke Ukrainian.
And me? Standing there, not understanding a word, but laughing like a little kid.

People passing by in the park were totally confused — two women fishing sneakers from a bench?
We were too.
But we had such a blast that nothing else mattered.


🎣 Watch the final reel here
📹 And check out the full vlog of the experience

Entrepreneurship brings you to unexpected places (and people)

We ended the day having coffee, the three of us.
And between laughs, we realized something that’s become a KUMI mantra:

Entrepreneurship brings you to super-authentic people and pushes you out of your comfort zone.

Sometimes, that means speaking without a common language, filming without a script, and living a moment you’ll remember forever.

Thanks for reading,
Alex

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