Taboo

What Taboo does

Taboo is a privately held, bootstrapped B2B creative partnerships agency founded in 2021 by Kenny Eshinlokun, headquartered in Berlin with a secondary office in London. The agency operates as an intermediary between brands and artists/creatives, producing authentic collaborations across fashion, music, nightlife, and lifestyle — including capsule collections, event activations, PR campaigns, artist bookings, and pop-up retail builds. Its named client base includes Nike, Carhartt WIP, Ambush, Tommy Hilfiger, Dion Lee, Feng Chen Wang, Buffalo Source, Herrensauna, Ninja Tune, Ballantine's, Feeld, Complex, Soho Radio, NTS Radio, Tenways, and Abbey Road Studios.

The company's revenue is generated entirely through professional-services fees across three core streams: creative production and event production, artist booking and management, and PR/brand management. Taboo operates with a headcount of approximately 11 employees across two cities, with no proprietary technology platform and no external institutional funding — the firm is founder-owned and self-financed. A separate "Development" division runs internally funded initiatives (Taboo Talks, INFLOW Experience, Black History Month takeovers, BMC & TFI panels at Abbey Road Studios and Royal Albert Hall) that double as social-impact programs and live brand showcases.

Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: Taboo leverages deep relationships with Berlin and London subculture venues (Trauma Bar und Kino, Humboldthain Club), collectives (Herrensauna, Refuge Worldwide), and media partners (NTS, Soho Radio, Highsnobiety, Voo Store) to deliver activations that mainstream agencies struggle to replicate. Distribution relies on direct enterprise relationships (dedicated [email protected] channel) supported by owned social (Instagram @wearetaboo_, TikTok, LinkedIn) and content marketing via the agency's blog. The company positions itself on authenticity and integrity as differentiators versus transactional agency models, with no publicly disclosed pricing.

Name

Taboo

Legal name

Taboo

Website

https://wearetaboo.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Taboo is a bootstrapped, London/Berlin-based B2B creative partnerships agency that connects brands (Nike, Carhartt WIP, Tommy Hilfiger, etc.) with artists and subcultures to produce authentic collaborations including events, capsule collections, PR campaigns, and artist bookings. Founded 2021, 11 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Partnerships Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Cause/Sustainability & Purpose-Driven Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAL)

Keywords

• Creative partnerships agency
• Artist brand collaborations
• Event production services
• Capsule collection curation
• Campaign activation production

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Creative Production Services: Full-service creative production including event production, campaign production, activation events, and collaborative collection creation for brands.
2. Artist Booking and Management: Curation and booking of artists and talent for brand collaborations, events, radio shows, and exclusive in-store experiences.
3. PR and Brand Management: Strategic PR campaigns, guestlist management, and brand management services including distribution strategy.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Taboo is a creative partnerships agency that connects independent artists with global consumer brands to design and execute authentic cultural collaborations. The agency delivers creative production, event production, artist booking, capsule collection curation, PR services, activation production, distribution, seeding, guestlist management, campaign image production, and pop-up store build services for brands such as Nike, Carhartt WIP, Tommy Hilfiger, and Complex.

Product overview

Taboo is a creative partnerships agency operating as an intermediary between brands and artists to create authentic, long-lasting collaborations. The company offers a unified service portfolio centered on creative production, event production, artist booking, and brand partnership facilitation. Their Development division adds a social-impact dimension, creating initiatives that give back to communities and subcultures. The agency connects global creatives and talent with brands to produce world-class projects that transcend audience and industry borders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Production

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HerrensaunacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaboo serves as the Brand Manager for Herrensauna, a Berlin-based collective operating at the intersection of music, fashion, and nightlife. This strategic partnership involves curating and managing brand collaborations including the Carhartt WIP x Herrensauna 6-part capsule collection and Buffalo Source x Herrensauna footwear collaboration. Taboo handles creative direction, PR, activation production, and guestlist management for Herrensauna partnerships.
• HighsnobietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPR partner for the Carhartt WIP x Herrensauna collaboration. Highsnobiety provided live PR coverage during the activation event in Berlin.
• Voo StoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPR partner for the Carhartt WIP x Herrensauna collaboration. Voo Store participated in the strategic PR campaign and live event coverage.
• Abbey Road StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaboo partnered with Abbey Road Studios for the BMC & TFI panel discussions exploring the Black experience in the British music industry. The panels featured music industry professionals from labels and were streamed live from the iconic studio.
• TikTokcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTaboo partnered with TikTok for the BMC & TFI panel series at Abbey Road Studios. TikTok involvement helped amplify the conversation around Black music industry experiences and provided platform support for the panel discussions.
• The Black Music CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with The Black Music Coalition for panel events and initiatives spotlighting the Black experience in the British music industry. Taboo co-presented panel discussions at Royal Albert Hall and Abbey Road Studios exploring equity and equality through positive action.
• The Future IscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaboo partnered with The Future Is for the BMC & TFI panel series, working together to create conversations about the Black experience in the music industry and advocate for equity and equality.
• Refuge WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaboo Takeover event partnership during Black History Month. Refuge Worldwide hosted the Taboo Takeover featuring Berlin's most innovative Black collectives, creatives, and communities. The event included artist performances, panel discussions, and community engagement celebrating Black History Month.
• NTS RadiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for the Nike x Ambush Berlin activation. NTS participated in the community dinner event alongside Taboo and Nike, helping bridge the fashion and music communities.
• Temporary PleasuresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSet design partner for Nike x Ambush Berlin activation. Temporary Pleasures contributed to the set design that was consistent across all 3 events, bringing their mission of redefining club spaces and aesthetics.
• Trauma Bar und KinominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Nike x Ambush Berlin club night. Trauma Bar und Kino is a space dedicated to facilitating authentic dialogue between contemporary art, performance, fashion, music, and club culture.
• Humboldthain ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for the Herrensauna x Carhartt WIP launch party in Berlin. Hosted the back-to-back-only night celebrating the capsule collection launch.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Saturday Group: Boutique creative agency with offices in New York and Berlin working at the intersection of culture, fashion, and brands. Highly comparable to Taboo in scale, Berlin presence, and cultural-partnership positioning.
• Pattern Brands: Creative partnerships agency helping brands connect with cultural communities, with a model centered on artist and creator collaborations. Highly comparable to Taboo in service offering, scale, and go-to-market approach.
• Anonymous Club: London-based creative agency and cultural platform working at the intersection of music, fashion, and subcultures. Closely mirrors Taboo's positioning around artist-brand collaborations and underground community access, making it the most direct head-to-head competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Hypebeast: Digital media and creative agency covering fashion, streetwear, music, and youth subcultures with brand agency arm (Hypebeast Studios). Comparable to Taboo in serving brand-subculture activation needs, but with much broader content distribution and a Hong Kong-based global footprint.
• Highsnobiety: Global media and creative agency focused on streetwear, fashion, and youth culture. Operates at the intersection of brands and subcultures, directly comparable to Taboo's streetwear and underground-community positioning, though with significantly larger scale and editorial infrastructure.
• Anomaly: Independent creative agency with global offices, working on integrated campaigns, activations, and brand partnerships for major clients. Comparable to Taboo in offering full-service creative and event production, but operating at much larger scale and across categories.
• Uncommon Creative Studio: Independent creative studio with a London base, working on purpose-led campaigns for global brands. Comparable to Taboo in independent agency positioning and purpose-driven work, with broader category reach.
• Mother London: Independent creative agency offering full-service campaign and activation work for major brands. Comparable to Taboo in serving enterprise clients with creative production and event activations, but at significantly greater scale and broader category coverage.

Emerging players

• NTS Radio: Independent global music platform headquartered in London with deep subculture credibility and brand partnership capabilities. Comparable to Taboo's music-community focus; Taboo has worked directly with NTS on activations, indicating overlap in service offerings and audience.
• Boiler Room: Music platform and cultural institution specializing in underground electronic music, with adjacent brand partnership work. Comparable to Taboo in cultural credibility with underground music communities, overlapping in artist booking and brand activation in the Berlin/London club scene.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/taboo-intl
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearetaboo_
• TikToktiktok.com/@wearetaboo?lang=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Taboo