In the 1920s, Finland’s Karhu became an official equipment provider to all Olympic Games. We uncovered a 1939 catalogue photo of an actual Karhu Olympic installation, which featured athletic equipment, such as javelins and discuses, used during the decathlon. Historically named the “All-Around”
Source: ALL-AROUND
As the Olympics draw closer after its hiatus in 2020, the collections by brands that were created in preparation for the event haven’t been as prevalent. There were collections with obvious ties released last year by the major players, but without the story of the Games, those drops were relegated to a push by hyped media outlets and for the most part the sneakers and collections fell flat. Covid-19 erased the need to flex in a new pair of kicks based on the Olympic Games. With the vaccine readily available and track and field events beginning to take shape, USATF highlights can be found all over YouTube if you’re not up on who is competing, there hasn’t been a lot of noise from the major brands on their collections to celebrate the event.
Karhu, which has been relegated to fashion primarily in the U.S., is digging into their catalog to celebrate the brand’s rich Olympic legacy. The photo above is named, “KARHU OLYMPIC INSTALLATION (Karhu) uncovered a 1939 catalogue photo of an actual Karhu Olympic installation, which featured athletic equipment, such as javelins and discuses, used during the decathlon.” They then took the photo and gave it to a designer who recreated the photo with versions of their classic trainers. The imagery found throughout these photos also draws upon the “MEMPHIS ART MOVEMENT -Drawing inspiration from the abstract and colourful designs of the Memphis Art Movement, which was active in the 80s, a popular time for the Karhu brand, this new version also incorporates the equipment and obstacles of the decathlon to showcase the collection.” The outcome is a playful pack that released on May 8th without a lot of fanfare or coverage on other sites. I thought this was a cool project so I’m sharing with you. Use the link above to read more about the Collection.
Use this link to browse Karhu on eBay