How LAKOR Scaled from Surf Camp Sketches to Shopify Success

Background: From Surf Camp to Startup

In 2014, three Danish pals—Lasse, Kasper, and Jesper—came home from a surf camp with an idea. Lasse sketched bold, playful graphics that felt fresh compared to logo-heavy surfwear. Kasper handled branding and sourcing, and Jesper took charge of tech. They named the business LAKOR after Lasse’s school computer username and set up a basic store on Adobe Commerce (Magento). Early orders came in from local shops and a handful of online customers. It was enough to keep everyone fired up but introduced a knot of tech headaches.

Challenge: Magento’s Growing Pains

Adobe Commerce seemed cheap to start but quickly demanded constant developer attention. Jesper became the single point of failure: any product update or new page required his deep code dives. He recalls that every beach day or family weekend risked him checking his laptop to fix a crash. The backend felt archaic—like trying to drive a sports car in first gear. Meanwhile, LAKOR was gaining traction and needed to move faster.

Choosing Shopify: Speed and Simplicity

When LAKOR evaluated Shopify, two things stood out: freedom from hosting chores and a modern admin UI. Jesper learned Shopify’s Liquid templating as a side project and cut over in just a few months. They avoided over-customizing immediately, relying on theme store patterns to get live fast. With built-in global server infrastructure, site speed worries vanished—you don’t fret about U.S. visitors when servers automatically route close to them.

Implementation: Unifying Channels

After launch, LAKOR switched on Shopify Markets to sell in Denmark, Germany, and EU. They added Shopify POS to unify two existing stores and open a third pop-up shop. Instead of juggling separate systems, their team now moves inventory with a click and offers local pickup. Wholesale accounts run through Shopify’s B2B features, so orders for stockists flow through the same platform. Staff training went from days to hours thanks to the intuitive interface.

Results: Growth Without Burnout

Year after year, LAKOR has grown at a healthy clip. The team doubled from 15 to 32 people without adding tech hires. Jesper no longer dreads vacations—or surprise support calls. Core Web Vitals pass on mobile and desktop, and the site stays lean by limiting heavy apps and auto-loading media. Most important, the founders protected their work-life balance and friendship while building a business they love.

Looking Ahead

Next up, LAKOR plans to enter new markets through a blend of direct storefronts and select wholesale partners. If you know a retailer in France or Spain, Jesper is all ears. The trio credits Shopify’s rapid feature releases for keeping them aligned: when new functionality appears, they enable it within weeks, not months of custom coding. Simplifying the essentials has let LAKOR focus on its art and community—exactly why they started.