Karhu

Karhu Retro Running Shoes from Helsinki

Mestari is Finnish for champion, and the M on the side of Karhu sneakers has stood for it since 1960, when it replaced the three-stripe mark the company sold after the 1952 Olympics. The business began in Helsinki in 1916, turning birch into skis and javelins, and took its name, Finnish for bear, in 1920, and built its reputation on running shoes.

The Karhu shoes fig. stocks come straight from that running archive, led by the Mestari, a Karhu staple for more than four decades. They are retro running shoes reissued for everyday wear, with suede overlays on a nylon or mesh base and an Air Cushion midsole, a technology patented in 1970. A foam footbed adds arch support, and the profiles stay slim and low to the ground, true to the shape of vintage running shoes. They are built as lifestyle sneakers for walking, not logging miles.

What sold us on Karhu is that these men's retro sneakers trace back to actual running shoes, not a running look borrowed after the fact. Suede over nylon keeps the weight down, so these men's shoes hold up to a full day on foot. As men's suede sneakers, they work with straight-leg denim and crew socks that show above the low collar.