Karhu Athletic Shoes

Karhu is a storied Finnish sports brand with a history dating back to 1916. Originally founded as Oy Urheilutarpeita Ab in Helsinki, the brand became famous for supplying athletic equipment to the dominant Finnish runners of the early 20th century. Karhu, which means "bear" in Finnish, is notably credited with creating the three-stripe logo which they later sold to Adidas in the early 1950s for a small sum of money and two bottles of whiskey.

Today, Karhu is a global brand known for its technical innovation in running, particularly its Fulcrum technology. While the brand remains deeply rooted in its Finnish heritage and design philosophy, its high-performance sneakers and lifestyle footwear are manufactured in multiple locations worldwide, typical of global footwear logistics. The brand is currently managed and owned by Karhu Holding B.V., which has helped revitalize the brand's international presence in the lifestyle and heritage sneaker markets.