ABOUT US
Akumu Ink is an art-driven brand founded in 2008 by Joey and Aldora, a Canadian couple living just outside Amsterdam in The Netherlands.
Joey is the artist behind Akumu Ink's visuals, including t-shirt designs, book illustrations, and original paintings. Aldora is the author of all Akumu Ink books and the creative inspiration behind many of the brand’s characters, designs, and visual themes. Together, the couple work seamlessly to bring a single unified vision to life.
For 18 years, Aldora and Joey have been expanding the world of Akumu Ink through the creation of original characters such as Tokyo Chan, Dead Boy and The Blue Bear, brought alive by blending a dark emo and gothic aesthetic with playful, cute, and colorful elements. While some designs are light and humorous, others are crafted with a dash of reality and acknowledgment of the world we are living in.
In the current world of A.I., there is a necessity for us to prove that we are real artist's through our paintings. For the past years, Joey has immersed himself into applying unique concepts onto one-of-a-kind artworks. Each painting tries to show depth and demonstrate the evolution of his overall skill as an artist.
Akumu Ink was originally created in Montreal, Quebec in 2008. The name Akumu Ink (pronounced akoo·moo ink) comes from the Japanese word for "Nightmare." The brand’s aesthetic was inspired by a shared love of 90's cartoons, horror movies and metal music.
If you want to know more about our journey. Read more here.
RETAIL
Since 2008, Akumu Ink® has created 300+ original designs sold on various apparel and merchandise.
Akumu Ink® products have been available in 100+ select boutiques and shops throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Singapore, and Japan. They even licensed some of their designs to Spencer’s Gifts’ 600+ stores across the USA between 2017-2019. A full list of stores currently carrying Akumu Ink® can be found by clicking the link below.
If your store wants to carry Akumu Ink® merch, contact us here to inquire about wholesale pricing.
(Above image: BorderlinePlus in Toronto, Ontario)
SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE
Akumu Ink has always been a place where outsiders and misfits belong. We have always felt like we didn't fit in until we started this brand and met so many people that understand and support what we do. We will always fight for the outsider, as together we are strong.
We offer many shirt designs that directly fund specific charity organizations from helping refugees, supporting LGBTQ youth, fighting racial injustice, and planting trees in deforested areas. Click here to view and support these causes.
In 2025 we sold a painting for €500 of which 100% of the proceeds went to providing 125+ meals to victims of the Los Angeles fires.
We also try to be proactive where we can by incorporating eco-friendly recycled plastic materials to replace synthetic materials used in our backpacks and using as little plastic as possible in our shipping materials.
OUR HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS
