Talking about heritage with regard to a brand that isn’t yet old enough to drive, smoke, drive or get married would seem premature, but the fact we’re here reflecting on the meteoric rise of HOKA shows what an impact the brand has made since being founded just 16 years ago.
As with many successful companies, HOKA’s meteoric rise was birthed by going against the curve. Back in 2009, the running world had an obsession with minimalism, specifically minimalist gear & minimalist shoes, and while this focus worked for a lot of runners, it didn’t work for the ones who were running anything but minimalist distances.
A large proportion of ultra-marathon runners were not getting on with the new slimmed-down, low-profile silhouettes. Right at the forefront of this dissatisfied mob were two French mountain runners who had a bone of their own to pick with the new trend – minimal shoes were not quick for running downhill.
The pair of mountain runners, Nicolas Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard, also both happened to be ex-Salomon employees – using their former employment as an insight into running shoe construction, they decided that the answer to this crisis of minimalism was not a shoe itself, but an attachment.
Their creation was not fancy. Essentially it was an ugly lump of foam that would attach to the bottom of a low-profile running shoe. But what it lacked in elegance it made up for in speed. Mermoud and Diard were hurtling down mountains at a vastly increased pace using their new creation.
Their attachment had one flaw though, it was just that, an attachment. No matter how good it was, it still had to be removed at some point. It didn’t take the pair long to realise that what they had created was something that held big potential, so they set to work designing a standalone shoe.
In a punk-esque response to the trend of minimalism, they decided that they were going to do the polar opposite. Everything would be big. In fact, it would be massive. This ideology of ‘oversizing’ was originally influenced by mountain bikes and how they used large tyres to compensate for the rough terrain.
The answer did not lie in pumping the soles full of air though, instead, the duo opted to work with a chemist to develop a proprietary sole material that offered 29 millimetres of cushion (in comparison to 10 millimetres for traditional sneakers) with no added weight (Source: Outside Online).
The initial model was called the Mafate, a shoe so swollen that it looked like it had consumed every other running shoe within a 5-mile radius. People would go on to mock the appearance of the Mafate, but it didn’t matter, it was fast. The only thing remaining for Nicolas and Jean’s fast footwear was a fast name.
They settled on HOKA, the Māori word for “to fly”.
In 2009, the Mafate was released and suffice to say its bloated appearance was divisive – the shoe had plenty of traction on the trail but was struggling to gain in it from a consumer standpoint. This would all change though, as in December, Mermoud presented the model to Mark Plaatjes, co-founder of Boulder Running Company and 1993 world marathon champion. He simply asked Plaatjes to do a test run in the Mafate, and within a week Plaatjes came back singing the company’s praises.
Who the pair managed to get the Mafate on would prove to be important – in 2010 they approached ultra-runner Karl Meltzer with a pair. Meltzer agreed to test the shoe on a run around his neighbourhood, and less than 3 months later, he revoked his sponsorship with La Sportiva to take one up with HOKA.
The crazy appearance of the Mafate being spotted on ultra runners’ of a similar ilk catapulted HOKA into the spotlight, and it didn’t take long for the brand to be put under the noses of some important people.
Just four years after setting their stall out with HOKA, Diard and Mermoud sold the brand to the Deckers Group, who also own UGG and Teva – well-versed in footwear, just not the type that looks like it had been for a bout of botox.
That wasn’t an issue though, the groundwork had been done. HOKA was already one of the most desirable names to have covering your toes, and it didn’t matter if you were into running or not.
Deckers would push HOKA into new territories by producing lifestyle and outdoor silhouettes such as the Kaha, Clifton-L and Tor. Naturally, these new non-running specific models garnered significant attention from fashion brands who wanted their names associated with the exciting new aesthetic.
As of 2025, the brand has worked with the likes of Braindead, Bodega, WTAPS, Engineered Garments, Moncler, Cotopaxi & thisisneverthat.
The role of collaborations has firmly embedded HOKA as a name within the fashion world, but the success of the brand all comes back to Mermoud & Diard’s original design – HOKA’s are comfy, so comfy you don’t want to take them off, ever. They’re good for just about everything, whether it be taking the bins out, a weekly shop, or even going for a run.
Importantly, HOKA has not forgotten their heritage, in fact, they actively celebrate it – releasing many models that directly reference the original designs, both stylistically and functionally.
For a brand that has only been around for such a short time, HOKA has – quite literally – earned itself an enviable track record. It has the characteristics of many success stories in footwear – heritage in genuine athletic excellence as well as aesthetically intriguing shoes early adopters seem to favour. The result is a brand that works well for its purpose, and if you’re not interested in expending any serious energy, they’ll look just as smart sitting in a beer garden or on a beach.
As we head to the season when both of those activities (plus several marathons) take place, we thought it’d be prudent to introduce you to some of our favourite HOKA shoes, currently available at SEVEN Store.
