Discover AHNU®. Always forward. Performance footwear blending uncompromised design with precise engineering. Made for those who never slow down. AHNU® | Always Forward | Performance Footwear
The immediate answer is that only those who are deeply interested in sneaker culture realize that Deckers x Lab is an innovative arm that quietly creates compelling footwear options. Below is the Deckers x Lab Enduro:
AHNU is a subsidiary of Deckers Brand but no one on the sneaker culture side of things has ever heard of Deckers x Lab and unless there is a considerable marketing push by Deckers no one will organically run across AHNU. Actually, I saw a post on LinkedIn because someone I was connected to liked a post from Deckers President and CEO Dave Powers. I guess that’s organic.
Here is the thing, AHNU looks a lot like the styles created by the Deckers x Lab team. Do I like both styles? Definitely, but HOKA is an incredible brand capable of doing some important work in performance running. HOKA is such a disciplined company the arrival of AHNU while Deckers x Lab exists feels a bit unfocused. HOKA has become a brand affiliated with lifestyle and fashion without pandering. A sold-out model like the Tor Summit x Hidden Characters shows HOKA’s ability to navigate hype and performance.
AHNU could live as a model within the HOKA line or as an addition to the limited Deckers x Lab lineup. The soft launch of AHNU has seen website traffic hit 75,820 visits in April and in May the site dropped to 26,888 visits. The Deckers x Lab website, although active for years, is almost even in visits when compared to AHNU. Which leads this discussion back to the possibility of fractured focus as AHNU and Deckers x Lab could be additive to HOKA which is one of the best performing sneaker websites in the industry:
So why is Deckers adding an additional sub-brand to the mix? When you consider HOKA, obviously very capable of doing hype and fashion, hasn’t begun to scratch the surface of utilizing the product mix they have available in a manner to navigate sneaker culture and lifestyle. AHNU and Deckers x Lab feel more like research projects. (I wrote the post below after browsing the HOKA site and realizing their gear is dope asf and could easily become daily style like Nike Dri-Fit and Tech Suits.)
Do you think Deckers Brand could be potentially disrupting the momentum of HOKA with the addition of AHNU? Or do you feel the AHNU will be a welcomed addition? I think HOKA is sitting on a powder keg in performance running and should allot energy to training and growing in track, but that’s personal. Use the links in this post to learn more about AHNU, Deckers x Lab and to visit HOKA.