CANADA 2008-2013

Joey and Aldora met in Montreal, Quebec in 2007. Joey was illustrating children’s books when he met the business savvy Aldora, who was pursuing a university degree in Dietetics. After only a few months together, they took a summer trip to New York where they randomly walked into a Hot Topic. On the drive home, Aldora was inspired and suggested to Joey, "Why don't we learn to print your designs onto t-shirts?"

They named their brand Akumu Ink® (pronounced: akoo·moo ink), based on the Japanese translation for 'Nightmare'. The brand's aesthetic was inspired by their love of cartoons and horror movies. The couple created their own niche that they felt needed to be explored.

Within a few months they designed their first 6 shirts, purchased a small hobby press, learned how to screen-print, and coded a very basic website.It wasn't until they set up a booth at their first tattoo convention in Toronto, where they sold out of all their shirts in a weekend, that they realized they had something special. They printed everything from their 2-bedroom apartment in Montreal while attending tattoo, anime and comic conventions across Canada. They created more than 100 designs during this initial 5 year period.

(Above image: First Tattoo Convention in Toronto, and printing from their apartment. Canada 2008)

USA 2014-2018

Although the small art brand had a lot of loyal Canadian customers, it was not enough to sustain them in the long term. After 5 years of struggling to grow their brand in Canada, the couple made a huge move to relocate to Los Angeles, California.

They toured across the U.S. selling directly to customers at over 100+ comic/anime conventions during the 5 years they lived there. To meet the increasing demand, the printing was outsourced to a local printer. Akumu Ink also set up their first warehouse where the owners continued to pack and ship all orders themselves.

During this time they learned how to merchandise and expanded from only selling t-shirts and hoodies, to selling their art on stickers, socks, backpacks and wallets, etc. Aldora and Joey always worked together coming up with design ideas. They created more than 100 new designs while living and working in the US.

(Below image: New York ComicCon 2018)

NETHERLANDS 2019-NOW

Things were beginning to get hectic in the U.S., and a choice had to be made as to whether to renew their U.S. visa or go back to Canada. The husband and wife duo instead made a brave and uncertain decision to relocate to the Netherlands (outside of Amsterdam) to experience Europe, where they had a huge following.

Upon arriving in 2019, they setup at comic conventions in Switzerland, France, and the UK. But due to the pandemic, it forced Joey and Aldora to no longer rely on conventions but to instead work on their online presence. They opened their new Akumu Ink® Studio just outside of Amsterdam, where they now print and ship all online orders directly to customers and to stores.

Embracing a bright artistic future, Joey has rekindled his passion for painting, a pursuit he had little time for back in the US. Together they have also written, illustrated, and self-published 3 storybooks, and are also gearing up for the release of more captivating titles.

(Above image: The city of Leiden, Netherlands)