MAN/WOMAN Conversations #01 – By Sprezza
- March 25, 2025
- 11:32 am
Mots de Clayton Chambers – Photos de Jameson Pepper
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about Tarvas?
My name is Jukka Lehtinen, and I’m the co-founder of Tarvas, a Finnish footwear brand based in Helsinki. We’ve been around for seven years, creating shoes that bridge the gap between city and outdoor environments.
What inspires your footwear designs, considering Finland’s unique outdoor environment?
We’re hugely inspired by the scenery and terrain in Finland. The weather up there is unpredictable, so we need shoes that are protective against rain, wind, slush, or snow on the ground.
We’re also huge shoe nerds who collect vintage footwear, so we draw inspiration from obscure shoes from the sixties and seventies.
Many of these had protective elements like the mudguard, which has become a DNA element of our shoes.
Footwear is crowded. How do you stand out?
Part of our success comes from creating multifunctional shoes—you don’t need to own three pairs. You can wear our boots hiking in the forest, walking in the city, or anywhere between.
They can be dressed up or down, working in formal and informal settings.
We’re also deeply involved in every aspect of the design process. We created our own last and developed our own sole mold—so everything is carefully considered.
We don’t compromise on the design ,which is why it took us four years to develop our model.
Ultimately, we’re not in a rush to flood the market; we want to create long-lasting products with real meaning behind them.
Where can people buy Tarvas?
While you can always buy online, most of our business is currently wholesale, so you can see it in person. In the U.S., we sell at CHCM and Nepenthes in New York.
In Europe, you can find our stuff at places like END, Rendez-Vous Store, Centre Commercial, Merci, Norse, and Nitty Gritty.
