Merrell hiking shoe (Vibram outsole)

Brand origin, manufacturing and ownership

Merrell is an American outdoor footwear brand founded in 1981 by Clark Matis, Randy Merrell and John Schweizer in the United States; the brand started as a maker of high‑performance hiking boots. (en.wikipedia.org)

Merrell has been part of Wolverine World Wide, Inc. since the late 1990s and is today operated as one of Wolverine’s global outdoor footwear brands; Wolverine World Wide is headquartered in Rockford, Michigan and functions as Merrell’s ultimate owner and global brand manager. (en.wikipedia.org)

Manufacturing for Merrell footwear is performed across multiple countries (primarily in Asia). Large volumes of Merrell production are reported to be made in Vietnam and China, with additional runs produced in countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, India and Bangladesh depending on model, season and factory allocation. Because Merrell sources and assembles through third‑party factories, the country‑of‑origin can differ between specific models and production runs—check the tongue/box label on an individual pair for the definitive “Made in” country. (whomakeshub.com)

Many Merrell trail and hiking models use specialized outsoles from Vibram (the yellow Vibram logo often seen on the sole) and the brand markets specific technologies (e.g., waterproof membranes on certain models). The pictured shoe shows Merrell branding on the upper and a Vibram outsole marking on the sole, consistent with Merrell’s common supplier partnerships and product configurations. (merrell.com)

Notable corporate/licensing detail: Wolverine World Wide completed a transaction that converted certain China joint venture operations into license/distribution agreements (Xtep holds exclusive development, marketing and distribution rights for Merrell and Saucony in China as of Jan 1, 2024), illustrating Wolverine’s practice of using regional licensees or distributors in some markets while retaining global brand ownership. (sec.gov)

Summary: This is a Merrell outdoor hiking/trail shoe with a Vibram outsole. The Merrell brand is American in origin, ultimately owned by Wolverine World Wide (U.S.), and its products are manufactured in multiple countries—predominantly Vietnam and China, with other Asian sourcing locations used depending on the exact model and production run. (en.wikipedia.org)