HOKA ONE ONE

»Our original goal was to improve endurance race times by designing a shoe to go downhill faster. In doing so, we inadvertently reinvented the running shoe.«

In 2009, Hoka One One was founded by Nicolas Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard on a wild idea to make modern trail running shoes for the rugged mountain races in the Alps, Pyrenees and Dolomites. The two founders formerly worked for Salomon in its now-defunct design center in Boulder, Colorado.

Hoka One One is a New Zealand Maori phrase meaning »to fly«. And this is exactly how professional runner felt while running in in the brands prototypes, »It feels like flying«.

In 2010, minimalist running shoes and barefoot running was about to dominate the market, but the first Hoka One One prototypes were anything but minimalistic. The sole was made of 29mm of cushioning, a 19mm boost over traditional shoes, without any added weight. In addition they added the Meta-Rocker technology, a rocking chair-like construction, allowing for better forward propulsion.

The brand quickly received positive feedback from the ultra marathon scene and professional runner were convinced at first sight. All of which had industry insiders wondering if the creation from Hoka One One would derail the minimalist running revolution.

Today, the brand is part of the Deckers Outdoor Corporation which also owns the Teva and UGG Australia brands. Besides the outstanding running technology the sneaker perfectly fit in today’s »Chunky« Sneaker trend!