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Hoka One One (stylized as HOKA) is an athletic shoe company originating in
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
Annecy
Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nickname ...
, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
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; this was in contrast to the minimalist shoe
Minimalist shoes are shoes intended to closely approximate barefoot running or walking conditions in comparison to traditional shoes. Minimalist shoes are defined as providing "minimal interference with the natural movement of the foot, because of ...
s 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; throughout its product line, Hoka shoes retain features like a low weight-to-cushion ratio and midsole and outsole geometry designed to promote inherent stability and an efficient stride.
The company was founded in 2009 in Annecy, France; it has been based in Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a city council.
and its corporate headquarters are currently in Goleta, California
Goleta (; ; Spanish for "Schooner") is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated populated area in the county. As of the 2000 c ...
. The company operates as subsidiary of Deckers Brands. The Brand President is Wendy Yang, who serves as President of the Deckers Performance Lifestyle Group, which includes the brands Teva and Sanuk.
History
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
Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...
phrase loosely meaning "fly over the earth".
The shoes were initially embraced by ultramarathon
An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...
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 purchased on April 1, 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.
See also
*Speedgoat
Speedgoat 50k is an international skyrunning competition held for the first time in 2008. It is run every year in Little Cottonwood Canyon ( Utah, United States) in July and consists of four races, a 50K, 28K, 11K, and a 2-day challenge.
In 2012 ...
References
External links
* {{Running shoe brands Athletic shoe brands Companies based in Richmond, California Māori words and phrases Shoe companies of the United States Sportswear brands