Hoka
Why run when you can fly?
Hoka is a running shoe company from Annecy, France, that designs and markets running shoes. The brand first gained attention in the running industry by producing shoes with oversized outsoles, dubbed "maximalist" shoes due to extra cushion, in contrast to the minimalist shoes trend that was gaining popularity at the time of the company's founding in 2009. Hoka produces both low-profile and max-cushion shoes for road, trail, and all-terrain.
The company was founded by Nicolas Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard, former Salomon employees, in 2009, when they sought to design a shoe that allowed them to run downhill faster, and created a model with an oversized outsole that had more cushion than other running shoes at the time.
The shoes are named after the Māori language phrase loosely meaning “fly over the earth”.
The shoes were initially embraced by ultramarathon runners due to their enhanced cushion and inherent stability; however, they quickly gained popularity among other runners for offering maximum cushion and minimal weight. The brand’s original, highest-cushion models are now accompanied in the Hoka lineup by lighter-weight shoes that retain much of the brand’s signature cushion, and even lightweight training, and racing shoes, and track spikes.
Hoka was acquired in 2013 by Deckers Brands, the parent company for UGG, Teva and other footwear brands.
The company sponsors a variety of professional runners; its first athletes were primarily trail-ultra runners, but their roster has expanded to include several track & field, triathlon, and road-running athletes. Hoka also has long-term sponsorship deals with the professional training groups Northern Arizona Elite, based in Flagstaff, Arizona; and the California-based Aggies Running Club. Hoka is also the former sponsor of the New Jersey New York Track Club.
Fast Company recently ranked the brand as one of the world’s most innovative companies saying “Amid the increasingly crowded market for technically advanced running shoes, Hoka is outpacing its competitors.”
In 2022, Deckers reported that Hoka’s sales had grown 30% year-over-year for the most recent quarter (fiscal Q3 2022), from $142 million to $185 million; in the previous quarter, Hoka’s net sales grew 47% year-over-year, from $143 million to $210 million. For fiscal year 2021 (which ended March 31, 2021), net sales increased 62.0% to $571.2 million.
What’s driving this growth is Hoka’s commitment to delivering innovations that keep athletes—amateurs and pros alike—running faster and more comfortably. Hoka is known for developing a new kind of EVA foam that’s extra soft and lightweight, and molded into a rocker shape that helps propel runners forward.
Last year, Hoka built on this EVA foam base by embedding its popular Bondi shoe with a stiff, carbon-fiber plate that puts a literal spring in runners’ steps. Called the Bondi X, the shoe was well-reviewed by leading running publications for delivering the pro-grade advantages of a carbon-fiber plate without sacrificing Hoka’s renowned ultra-cushiony comfort. Hoka closed out the year by imbuing a trail runner shoe, the Tecton X, with a pair of carbon-fiber plates that are aimed at giving wearers extra propulsion with the added stability that off-piste runners require. (Hoka also improved on its popular Rincon and Clifton models of shoes in 2021.)
As Hoka expands globally, it’s moving beyond its traditional base of running-shoe retailers to create its own stores. It recently opened pop-ins in New York and Los Angeles, featuring 3D foot-scanning technology and smart lockers, as well as the brand’s first owned and operated stores in China. All of these stores also feature the brand’s growing apparel line, which will be a focus for Hoka in the coming months.
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