Industry
Footwear
Description
Karhu is a Finnish sports brand known for running shoes and sneakers. It was founded in 1916 when Ab Sportartiklar Oy opened a small workshop in downtown Helsinki making skis, javelins and discuses from local birch. The workshop went on to make running shoes worn by Flying Finns Ville Ritola and Hannes Kolehmainen, and in 1920 the company took the name Karhu, Finnish for "bear".
Sport Focus
Running
Listed since 19 Sep 2026 · Last verified 27 Sep 2026← Back to directory
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