Karhu is a Finnish sneaker brand I wasn’t familiar with until recently. I’m getting more and more into sneakers and building up a collection. The latest cop for me are from the Linnut Pack — Part 2 for which the colorways are inspired by bird watching. Yep.

The history of the company is super interesting. You can read a full run-down over at Sneakers Magazine. They started in 1916 and their Olympic athletes were known as the Flying Finns. Another super crazy fact is they sold the three stripes to Adidas for two bottles of whiskey and €1,600!

According to Karhu, the two brands struck a historic deal that would make athletic trademark history: “Adi met the Karhu directors and invited them over to Germany. The result of the trip was that Karhu sold the three stripes trademark to adidas for a small sum of money, around €1,600 in today’s terms, plus a couple bottles of good whiskey,” said the brand manager, adding: “That’s how the story goes, although we don’t have proof of the whiskey.”

The unique lacing of the Synchron Classics is 🔥 and I’m excited to wear these around Berlin and during my upcoming trips to the States.

Are you into sneakers? Cop anything recently?