KARHU x SASU KAUPPI

April 26, 2023

This spring, Finnish fashion designer, Sasu Kauppi, brings his vibrant aesthetic and passion for vintage sportswear to Karhu’s lifestyle category as our new Creative Specialist. A veteran creative, Kauppi will serve as the inspirational driving force behind a variety of KARHU projects including future concepts, graphic design, pattern making, and various footwear and apparel collabs.

Kauppi has a rich history in fashion design, both creating and teaching, that he will call upon to put a fresh spin on KARHU’s lifestyle collections. Sasu Kauppi graduated from Central Saint Martins in London with a Master’s degree in menswear studies. Shortly after, he launched his own eponymous brand and very quickly caught the eye of Japanese retailers which resulted in Kauppi’s creations being sold in fashion boutiques throughout Asia, the UK, the USA, and his homeland of Finland.

Life changed exponentially for Kauppi when he was scouted by Kanye West’s YEEZY fashion line and brought on as a consultant. This proved an exceptional launching pad for Kauppi’s career as he was eventually named YEEZY’s head designer for menswear. After some years, Kauppi returned to his home country of Finland where he created a new brand all his own—SSSU by Sasu Kauppi.

This bold new collection is inspired by vintage 80s KARHU, a time when sportswear featured brilliant patterns and flashy designs. Back then, the standout piece from the collection was a white T-shirt emblazoned with a colourful rainbow-striped KARHU logo. Officially dubbed the “Team College” logo, KARHU adopted the slogan “Join The Team” as a means to welcome
KARHU fans both new and old to the brand. As Sasu Kauppi is now part of the KARHU family, “Join The Team” seemed the perfect theme to revisit for our main concept behind Sasu’s kick-off collaboration.

Shop the Karhu x SASU KAUPPI collection at HANON via the button below!

The collection consists of the fan favourite Fusion 2.0 in two typical Sasu Kauppi iterations. Also included in the assortment are a brightly coloured tracksuit, sweatshirts, T-shirts, caps, and socks. Most items feature KARHU’s “Join The Team” slogan in Sasu Kauppi’s signature font.