Tarvas hail from Helsinki, Finland and are in the business of crafting footwear that stays true to their vision of a better world. Setting out to build footwear domestically using locally sourced premium materials that hold up in the unpredictable climes of the Nordics - something that we in the North East of Scotland are only to are to familiar with. We recently caught up with Jukka & Pekka from Tarvas for a quick chat and jotted it all down for you to read too.
HANON: Hi Jukka and Pekka, thanks for speaking with us. I guess we should kick this off from the very beginning then, so tell us a bit about Tarvas?
Jukka & Pekka: "Thanks, the pleasure is all ours! The idea for Tarvas was born already some years ago while we worked for other sneaker brands in the industry. Coming from Finland we often found ourselves struggling to find footwear that is high quality, weather protective and stylish. That gave us the spark to create something of our own. In the beginning we spent some late evenings at Pekka’s workshop because he knows how to craft shoes by hand. Since the prototypes we made turned out good and the idea for Tarvas crystalized we took the chance and started Tarvas. We launched the brand exactly 1 year ago and it’s been a nice ride so far!"
HANON: Hailing from Scotland, we suffer quite a bit from rain and just general bad weather, much like yourselves, so we always have a keen interest when it comes to functional footwear. Is it easy for you to combine functionality with the clean aesthetic that the brand has?
Jukka & Pekka: "The construction and look of the Explorer model came pretty naturally as it was affected by our surroundings. One evening when we were making the first prototypes we stepped out of our workshop and the streets were filled with wet slush. Walking down the street our socks were wet right after the first couple steps. We had been drawing clean and simple designs already, but this moment was the one that made us really think about weather protection and include the mudguards around the shoe."
Q: We’re obviously quite familiar with manufacturing footwear across Europe in places such as the UK, Italy, & Portugal, but Finland is a new one for us. Was it important for Tarvas manufacture here?
Jukka and Pekka: "We think the way most companies do business is quite harmful to our home planet and people. Many brands produce their goods far away from home, from raw materials which are not long lasting and with employees who are not treated right. This is just something that we can’t be a part of. So we wanted to find a production site as near as possible and luckily there was one just 200km from Helsinki. It’s not only a sustainability decision though; working with local factory gives us faster lead times and way smaller minimums."
HANON: Stepping away from the footwear briefly, Tell us a bit about Helsinki what can we get up to if we ever visit?
Jukka & Pekka: "Friendly people, clean design and architecture, beautiful nature and many saunas! The city has a relatively mellow pace, but if you are a night animal you can find decent spots to have fun until early morning."
HANON: And finally What’s next on the horizon for Tarvas?
Jukka & Pekka: "We want to keep on doing our thing, getting Tarvas more recognized and educate the consumer along the way. And not forgetting to have fun doing it!"
All three styles from the Tarvas AW18 Collection are available to buy online now via the button below! 
