KARHU WITH VYNER ARTICLES: THE M-RUNNER

To celebrate the launch of our brand-new silhouette, the M-Runner, we’ve partnered with Highsnobiety for an article detailing the unique nature of this collaborative effort between KARHU and Vyner Articles. Highsnobiety sat down with Vyner Articles founder and Creative Director of MM6 Maison Margiela, Heikki Salonen, the creative mind behind the M-Runner, to discuss the influence and inspiration that led to the design.

27th September Lifestyle, Specialproject

This brand-new silhouette is inspired by the golden age of gritty rock with an aesthetic that highlights the uniqueness of each brand. Vyner Articles is the brainchild of Finnish designer, Heikki Salonen, dedicated to Artworkwear – everyday workwear for the creative ones.

As far as collaborations go, we’re all pretty done with them, right? Too often a designer’s minimalist approach to the “reworking” of a compatriot’s signature sneaker or garment comes across as either lazy or meaningless, two traits no one is on board with. The definition of collaboration is: “the action of working with someone to produce something,” so when the mere changing of a logo or a colorway is deemed to be a collaboration, we’re at risk of running things completely dry.

That being said, every now and then a link-up comes along that rejuvenates my passion for co-releases, something that not only feels organic, but really represents the meeting of creative minds. Enter: Vyner Articles x Karhu.

Teaming up with fellow Finnish label Karhu, Salonen – whose other projects include MM6 Maison Margiela – has taken his eye for intricate detail and design, and fused it with the sneaker label’s deeply rooted sports foundations to create, well, an honest collection.

''To me collaboration means jamming together, doing something that you would never come up with without the other party”

Salonen tells Highsnobiety.

“To me it needs to be more than just simple 1+1=Y it should always be x minus the unknown. It’s not just about plonking logos on someone’s iconic products.”

The collaboration itself is eye-catching, to say the least. Dubbed the M-Runner, Salonen has reimagined classic Karhu elements and blended them with the mood and feel of 1970s rock and heavy metal culture.

The result is a fun and forward-thinking shoe that embodies the essence of both brands.

“The process was as it always is: a mix of discussions, desires, needs, and cherishing good memories,” Salonen says of the design process of the M-Runner.

“I knew that I could play quite a lot and draw freely as there was this super professional team of Karhu responding to them creatively and technically. So it was pretty much a dream situation for a designer.”

The M-Runner (which drops online on September 9) arrives in two colorways – “Nectarine” and “Snow White” – and comes equipped with a nylon and hairy suede upper and a non-slip rubber outsole.

The Karhu M-Logo has been created from leather and includes decorative stitching done in the Vyner Articles initials, and a heel patch adorning its emblem.

“Working as designer and creative director in fashion has shaped my thinking about clothing and my view changes and evolves constantly,” continues Salonen. “I like quality products, but when clothing becomes too much like a product, it loses its charm in my eyes.”

“Clothes should breathe and never be completed by the designer but the wearer. I love when I see people wearing us and I just see them without necessarily realizing they are wearing our designs."

"I think that is the Vyner goal, to really let people shine through. In fashion that has not been in fashion for way too long, and I think we’ve achieved it here.”

We’d like to thank style writer Tayler Willson of Highsnobiety for interviewing Heikki Salonen and shining a light on our latest collaboration.

30% OFF

Karhu x vyner ''m-runner'' - smoke gray / snow white

KARHU X VYNER ARTICLES M RUNNER

SMOKE GRAY / SNOW WHITE

$119.00$170.00

AVAILABLE NOW

In sizes 5-12

This brand-new silhouette is inspired by the golden age of gritty rock with an aesthetic that highlights the uniqueness of each brand.

Shop Now Find a retailer

27th September Lifestyle, Specialproject

40% OFF

KARHU X VYNER ARTICLES M RUNNER

SMOKE GRAY / NECTARINE

$102.00$170.00

AVAILABLE NOW

In sizes 5-12

This brand-new silhouette is inspired by the golden age of gritty rock with an aesthetic that highlights the uniqueness of each brand.

Shop Now Find a retailer

27th September Lifestyle, Specialproject

KARHU WITH VYNER ARTICLES: THE M-RUNNER

‘TODELLISUUDEN MESTARIT’ (MASTERS OF REALITY) IS A COLLABORATION BY VYNER ARTICLES AND KARHU.

AVAILABLE NOW

AVAILABLE NOW