Karhu Japan has opened the first “Karhu Experience” Showroom in central Tokyo. As of September 23rd this showroom is now open to the general public. The showroom makes strategic use of blue and orange colour ways reminiscent of iconic Karhu models from the 70’s.
Source: KARHU OPENS FIRST “KARHU EXPERIENCE” SHOWROOM TO THE JAPANESE PUBLIC
When the discussion of streetwear and sneaker culture collide, there is always a segment of the public bemoaning the collapse of streetwear in the U.S. This is understandable. Fashion in the States, which was once led by Hip-Hop, neighborhoods and skate culture has devolved into hype centered around collabs and forced cool. There aren’t any individuals. There are simply dudes who rock New Balance collabs, Yeezy or Jordan Brand/Nike. Anything outside of those parameters is a temporary drop in the timeline of IG and TikTok that can be seen over and over again on profiles of people all over social media. Hence a picture of the latest collab will garner thousands of likes, while a brand like Karhu will only generate a fraction of the engagement.
In Tokyo, however, streetwear is a diverse blend of gorp, skate and anything an individual decides to throw on to create their own flair. I follow The Casual on YouTube. Reggie reports on trends in Japan and the content is always insightful and engaging. His reports in the last few years have always pointed to where the rest of the world is headed. Even in many of his videos he explains that the trends used to follow the U.S., but that time has passed. Japan is now the source of inspiration for a vast array of fashion houses. Karhu isn’t a major sneaker brand in the U.S. As a matter of fact, in my own city, I have hardly seen a pair of Karhu on foot outside of me rocking the brand. While I haven’t spent as much time in major metropolitons in the U.S. it’s obvious Karhu understood the importance of the Japanese market as they have reverse engineered the importance of conquering the U.S., but setting up shop in Tokyo
The brand is delivering both performance and lifestyle in the space. Via events based in the new store they are building community and allowing the history of Karhu to become a baseline for connecting with Tokyo. I’ve long admired the apparel and collections from the Finnish Bear brand, but it will be interesting to watch how the culture in Tokyo influences the presentation and direction of Karhu. It will also be interesting to see if Karhu gains ground in the U.S. as it learns to deliver to a discerning Japanese audience.