Kanye West‘s footwear had social media buzzing on Saturday night, but it wasn’t because he was laced in his latest Adidas Yeezy Boost design. Instead, the rapper-designer decided to wear something much more unexpected — a retro runner from Finland-based brand Karhu.
While sneakerheads and social media followers may have been taken aback by West’s sneakers, no one was more surprised than Karhu itself. On Tuesday, Highsnobiety spoke with Karhu global lifestyle manager Remko Nouws, who said he was “astonished” after receiving an Instagram direct message pointing him to the image of West.
“We were all very happily surprised!,” Nouws said of the Karhu team’s reaction. According to Nouws, West’s stamp of approval resulted in an immediate spike in sales. “We also saw a growth on our social media channels, especially on Instagram, it just keeps on growing,” he added.
While West favored the “Caramel Cafe/Aegean Blue” Fusion 2.0 colorway from Karhu’s “Mount Pallas” collection, Nouws says the rapper’s recognition has boosted the brand’s other offerings, too. “The shoes have definitely been selling online, not only on the ‘Mount Pallas’ colorway, but also other colorways and even other models are getting an online push.”
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The Karhu Fusion 2.0 “Caramel Cafe/Aegean Blue” worn by West is currently sold out on karhu.com, but you can shop the rest of the brand’s lifestyle sneakers here.
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