Where are Hoka Shoes Made?

Where Are Hoka Shoes Made featured photo

Hoka shoes are shaking up the way most people know about running and athletic shoes. Thanks to their maximalist sports shoes and thick and superior cushioning and support, they’ve been a major favorite among athletes and runners. Due to people’s curious natures, many often ask, “Where are Hoka shoes made?”.

Hoka has headquarters in California but doesn’t manufacture shoes there. Instead, they manufacture primarily out of China and Vietnam due to their abundant skilled workers and unrivaled manufacturing quality at a reasonably low cost. Additionally, Hoka also utilizes factories in Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic.

Of course, information like this is constantly changing through the years. Consumers know important factors like this through the information made public by the company.

Below, we’ll go over the places where Hoka shoes are made. We’ll also cover everything you need to know about the brand including what makes their shoes unique and favored by many.

The Hoka Shoes Brand and History

Hoke One One, more famously known as Hoka, finds its beginnings in 2009 in Annecy, France. Two former Salomon employees, Nicolas Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard, founded the company when they found themselves in need of a shoe that would allow them to run downhill terrains faster.

In 2013, Deckers Brands (Deckers Outdoor Corporation) purchased Hoka, officially becoming the brand’s parent company. Deckers also owns other famous footwear brands including UGG, Teva, Sanuk, and Koolaburra.

Since its inception 14 years ago, Hako has proven itself as a worthy competitor of other footwear brands like Adidas, Nike, Puma, and others.

The brand’s headquarters is currently situated in Goleta, California.

What makes Hoka running shoes popular?

Anyone who owns Hoka shoes loves the brand due to its “maximalist” approach to shoes, in contrast to the minimalist trend taking over the footwear industry at the time.

Since the brand was launched, it has attracted a loyal following and still continues to do so over these past years. Here’s everything that makes Hoka shoes popular among athletes, marathoners, runners, and casual walkers alike:

  • Hoka shoes boast a “maximalist” design with very thick soles that offer superior support and shock absorption.
  • Hokas shoes have wide toe boxes that give the feet and toes enough room for movement without tightness and pressure.
  • Even with superior cushioning and support, Hoka shoes are able to provide minimal weight due to the construction and lightweight materials used.
  • Hoke shoes are designed with special cushioned midsoles that protect the feet and joints from shock and pain.
  • Hoka shoes provide superior and comfortable stability, the very reason the athletic shoe company has been a popular choice for athletes and marathon runners.
  • The combination of Hoka shoes’ unique features offers support, comfort, and stability runners and athletes need to protect the feet and joints while maximizing performance.

What Does “Hoka” Mean?

The brand’s name, “Hoka One One” comes from the Eastern Polynesian language Maori and translates to “fly over the earth”.

Most often referred to only as “Hoka”, the name simply translates to “fly” or “soar” which perfectly captures the brand’s vision and the performance of its wide range selection of sports and athletic goods.

Why You Should Care Where Your Shoes Are Made

Before we get on to the answer to the question, you might wonder why this is even an important thing to know when you want to buy Hoka shoes.

Hoka One One is a world-famous athletic and sports brand so it may be a natural occurrence that quite a few are curious about its history, origins, and where its products are made.

Though it’s not at all the same for all Hoka footwear fans, many are often concerned about the manufacturing practices of the brands and products they pay for.

Many like to pay close attention to ensuring their favorite brands engage only in ethical practices. This includes prioritizing fair labor laws and sustainability choices in the manufacturing process of their favorite Hoka shoes.

Hoka recognizes its responsibility to protect the skilled workers who help create its world-class products. The brand works closely with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations’ International Bill of Human Rights to help ensure only an ethical supply chain takes place.

Additionally, Hoka prides itself in its sustainability efforts to do right by the environment. With Hoka’s “Yes to Less” campaign and movement, the brand works towards using less unwanted materials, petrol-based plastic, trees, waste, carbon emissions, and water across all its supply chains.

For many, it’s a huge deal-breaker if a brand or company engages and encourages human rights violations and negative environmental impact in their manufacturing factories.

So if you’re ready to find out all about where your favorite Hoka shoe was made, read on below.

Where are Hoka Shoes Made?

As a world-famous brand serving millions of customers around the world, Hoka One One shoes and goods and apparel are manufactured in different countries.

They don’t limit their manufacturing process to only one country. They have several factories situated in different countries to answer the demand for their products.

Here are all the countries where your favorite Hoka shoes are made:

  1. China

Currently, China is the biggest and leading manufacturing country for Hoka shoes. The brand has several manufacturing factories and facilities in China.

The country is known for its abundant number of skilled workers, resources, and advanced production technologies. All these plus the usually low manufacturing and labor costs in China make it a hotspot not only for the Hoka brand but for other world-class brands as well.

Given all that, China has a mass dependency on coal, which has a negative impact on the environment. For this reason, Hoka has made consistent efforts to move most of its production and manufacturing processes to Vietnam.

Still, most Hoka shoes are still made in China.

  1. Vietnam

Another manufacturing hotspot for Hoka shoes is the country of Vietnam. Like China, Vietnam has skilled workers, impressive manufacturing quality, and low production costs that make it another reasonable choice for manufacturing Hoka shoes.

  1. Cambodia and Malaysia

Cambodia and Malaysia are other countries that are popular with the Hoka brand to rely on to manufacture their shoes and other sports goods and apparel.

Both countries also boast their abundant skilled workers and world-class manufacturing quality at a reasonable price that attracts not only Hoka but many other international brands as well.

  1. Other regions

There have also been reports of Hoka’s shoe manufacturing presence stretching to other regions like the Philippines and the Dominican Republic.

What about in the USA?

Though the footwear brand has its headquarters right in Goleta, California, Hoka doesn’t manufacture and make its shoes and other apparel in the USA. This is due to expensive manufacturing and labor costs in the country.

From a business perspective, it will not be practical to manufacture their goods in the USA and expect to sell at reasonable prices and make a profit. Outsourcing their production and manufacturing process is a better alternative.

Does the Manufacturing Location Affect the Quality of Hoka Shoes?

The location of production and manufacturing does not affect the quality of Hoka shoes.

Hoka ensures its customers and the most loyal of their fans that they follow strict standards for all their products, across all their manufacturing plants.

There’s also no need to worry about the quality of materials used in each of their manufacturing factories as they make sure to only use the best in the business.

Buyers can be assured of the quality, lifespan, and durability of their Hoka shoes, regardless of where it’s made.

Conclusion

Hoka One One is a world-famous shoe and sports apparel brand. They’re most famous for their unique maximalist take on running and athletic shoes. Due to people’s naturally curious approach to everything they love and enjoy, many often wonder where Hoka shoes are made and manufactured.

Though Hoka’s headquarters are situated in California, most of their shoes and other apparel are made in China and Vietnam. These two countries are a magnet not only for Hoka but for other brands as well due to their abundant skilled workers, impressive manufacturing quality, and low-cost manufacturing prices. Other manufacturing regions include Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic.

And that has been our detailed answer to the question, “Where are Hokas shoes made?”. Reach out to us below if you have any more curious queries!

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