Karhu shoes were established in Helsinki, Finland under the Oy Herilutapeita in 1916. They would later be named Karhu and adopt their bear logo in 1920. Their equipment, like their Karhu Javelins and Karhu shoe spikes would feature prominently in the Olympic games in the 1920s.
During World War II they would produce snow-camouflage suits, tents, and skis for the Finnish military. Following the war in 1952, they would sell their trade marked 3 stripes logo over to Adidas for 1,600 euros and 2 bottles of whiskey. They would adopt their M logo shortly after in the 1960s which they still use for their shoes.
1968 saw the release of their Trampas, which came in casual wear and trainer format. 1970 would then later see the development of the first air cushion midsole. The shoes became really popular during this time, though they would later struggle during the 80s, having to sell off their outdoor shoe division to Merrell.
They would later develop their Fulcrum technology with the University of Jyvaskyla in 1982, one of the most well known features of their shoes. Lastly they would develop the shaped by Ortix Fit technology, designed to be high volume and accommodate the shape and size of the average foot using over 2 million foot scans. Do you like these shoes?
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