Karhu
Overview
Karhu has built running shoes in Finland since 1916, but its storefront hadn’t caught up with that heritage — product pages felt generic, and the homepage didn’t carry the performance-driven, built-for-the-wild identity the shoes themselves have.
As a self-directed design exploration, Exoraa reimagined Karhu’s e-commerce experience end to end — a bold, product-first homepage, a product page built around fast size and colorway decisions, and an editorial layout for the brand’s heritage and range.
One brand, built for performance and heritage
Every screen — homepage hero, product page, editorial layout — carries the same dark, high-contrast, performance-first visual language, while still making room for Karhu’s Finnish heritage since 1916.
A cohesive concept across homepage, product, and editorial pages.
Editorial storytelling on the homepage
Beyond the product grid, the homepage makes room for lifestyle and running photography, curated collections, and brand storytelling — a homepage that reads as much like a running magazine as a store.
A bold, product-first hero
The homepage leads with a single hero product shot on a dark, high-contrast background, with callouts for the shoe’s key technology — stable traction, impact protection, breathable upper — placed directly on the image instead of buried in a spec sheet.
Built around the product page
The product detail page was designed around fast decisions: colorway and size selection above the fold, a persistent add-to-cart action, and supporting content — care, materials, sizing — kept within easy reach.
Colorway Switching
Thumbnail swatches update the hero image instantly, so shoppers can compare finishes without leaving the page.
Size Grid
A clear, tappable size grid replaces a dropdown, cutting the steps between landing on a product and adding it to cart.
Related Products
Each product page closes with a “You May Also Like” rail, keeping shoppers browsing instead of bouncing after one style.
Consistent Navigation
The same header, search, and cart pattern carries across the homepage, product, and editorial pages, so the store never feels like three different sites.
A concept built to show what Karhu’s e-commerce experience could look like with its Finnish heritage and performance story leading the design — not an afterthought.
From hero to checkout, one bold direction
The same dark, high-contrast visual language carries from the homepage hero through the product grid and into the product page itself, so the store reads as one considered experience instead of a template with a logo swapped in.
