6 Emerging Shoe Brands Making the Winter Boots of the Future

ShoppingThe next generation of bad-weather stompers might hail from the foothills of the Dolomites or the outskirts of the Finnish woods.By Reed NelsonFebruary 21, 2025Image: Getty; Collage by Brittany LogginsSave this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.Hiking shoes have been tearing up a lot more than mountain trails recently. The lace-ups once reserved for areas of the world with record-holding elevation data have long since landed on the feet of cosplaying art directors and outdoors-minded baristas alike. By now, you’re probably familiar with shoe brands like Salomon and Merrell—and maybe even Scarpa and La Sportiva. We’re not here to talk about those shoe brands. Today, we’re here to talk about the ones you aren’t familiar with, the bleeding-edge upstarts and slept-on independents behind some of the best rocky-terrain footwear on the planet.How did we get here? For one, the material innovations that used to be the exclusive territory of big-name companies with even bigger budgets are now a little more accessible. Thanks to brands like Vibram—whose world-class soles can be grafted onto nearly any silhouette, at minimal extra cost—and what I like to think of as a widening utility gap—the delta between what you actually need a product to do and what it’s designed to do—a niche in the market opened for well-made, durable shoes that wear their outdoors bona fides lightly.In 2025, that niche is a lot more crowded than it used to be. A cottage industry of smaller, independent shoe brands—hailing from the foothills of the Dolomites to the outskirts of the Finnish woods—has emerged to outfit those art directors, baristas, and, sure, actual mountaineers. While the Goliaths rest on their laurels, the up-and-coming brands below are busy making the trail shoes of the future—and they won’t be remotely offended if you rock their kicks anywhere but.DiemmeBorn in the foothills of the Dolomites, Diemme makes all its shoes in a single factory in the town of Onè di Fonte, Italy, which happens to be historically renowned for its shoemaking prowess. The end result isn't cheap, but the level of craftsmanship and degree of detail applied to each pair tends to justify the price tag multiple times over. Just think about it this way: it’s notoriously tricky to find shoes this handsome even when they're not this hardy—and it's even trickier to find ‘em from a brand with Diemme’s pedigree.DiemmeCornaro Shoes$445 BackcountryDiemmeRoccia Vet Sport Boots, 530$530 Mr. PorterDiemmeMovida Sneakers$435 Mr. PorterDiemmeRoccio Basso Hiking Boots$470 Mr. PorterROAROA was founded in Italy in 2015, and it remains one of the more avant-garde imprints in this group (a sentiment that applies to the brand's new-ish clothing line, too, which is worth checking out). Over the years, ROA has mastered the dark arts of merging delightfully bonkers designs with next-level functionality. Everything the brand makes looks a bit like a late stage experiment, but in a way that makes you feel like you’re an early adopter, not a beta tester.ROAOrganiclab.zip Edition Katharina Sneakers$435 SSENSEROAAndreas Strap Suede and Rubber-Trimmed Cordura® Boots$575 Mr. PorterROACingino Rubber-Trimmed Microfibre Hiking Sneakers$425 Mr. PorterROAKatharina Rubber and Suede Hiking Sneakers$475 Mr. PorterTarvasThe team behind Tarvas spends a lot of time in the Finnish woods—hiking, trekking, and otherwise reveling in the unforgiving terrain. When they’re not in the woods, though, they’re based in Helsinki, which boasts its own scary-weather considerations to contend with. The result of that split residency is an assortment of shoes, headlined by the house-speciality Easy Hikers, that are frighteningly adept at handling the shittiest conditions on the planet, whether you encounter them in your backyard or miles away from the city.TarvasEasy Hiker Shoes$362 TarvasTarvasExplorer Suede Shoes$372 Haven ShopTarvasForest Bather Shoes$282 TarvasTarvasExplorer Mid Shoes$378 HabitsNordaNorda makes one thing and one thing only: trail running shoes built to handle the kind of terrain that usually makes running impossible. Even if you’re not into trail running, the features that define its kicks—breathable uppers, suction-like traction, shock-absorbing midsoles—also happen to make for great running shoes, period.Norda003 G+ Slip-On Waterproof Trail Sneaker$300 HuckberryNorda001 Trail Running Sneaker$295 HuckberryNorda002 Trail Running Sneaker$295 HuckberryNorda001 G+ Trail Running Sneaker$325 NordaPlaygroundPlayground is probably the most obscure brand on this list and, until recently, was practically impossible to find outside of Japan. But when it comes to specs, its pedigree is just about unimpeachable. Every pair of its shoes features a burly, high-traction Vibram sole, nails-tough uppers, one of the coolest lacing systems in a market crowded with 'em. (Keep an eye out for waterpr

Feb 22, 2025 - 10:28
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6 Emerging Shoe Brands Making the Winter Boots of the Future
The next generation of bad-weather stompers might hail from the foothills of the Dolomites or the outskirts of the Finnish woods.
6 emerging shoe brands making the winter kicks of the future.
Image: Getty; Collage by Brittany Loggins

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Hiking shoes have been tearing up a lot more than mountain trails recently. The lace-ups once reserved for areas of the world with record-holding elevation data have long since landed on the feet of cosplaying art directors and outdoors-minded baristas alike. By now, you’re probably familiar with shoe brands like Salomon and Merrell—and maybe even Scarpa and La Sportiva. We’re not here to talk about those shoe brands. Today, we’re here to talk about the ones you aren’t familiar with, the bleeding-edge upstarts and slept-on independents behind some of the best rocky-terrain footwear on the planet.

How did we get here? For one, the material innovations that used to be the exclusive territory of big-name companies with even bigger budgets are now a little more accessible. Thanks to brands like Vibram—whose world-class soles can be grafted onto nearly any silhouette, at minimal extra cost—and what I like to think of as a widening utility gap—the delta between what you actually need a product to do and what it’s designed to do—a niche in the market opened for well-made, durable shoes that wear their outdoors bona fides lightly.

In 2025, that niche is a lot more crowded than it used to be. A cottage industry of smaller, independent shoe brands—hailing from the foothills of the Dolomites to the outskirts of the Finnish woods—has emerged to outfit those art directors, baristas, and, sure, actual mountaineers. While the Goliaths rest on their laurels, the up-and-coming brands below are busy making the trail shoes of the future—and they won’t be remotely offended if you rock their kicks anywhere but.


Diemme

Born in the foothills of the Dolomites, Diemme makes all its shoes in a single factory in the town of Onè di Fonte, Italy, which happens to be historically renowned for its shoemaking prowess. The end result isn't cheap, but the level of craftsmanship and degree of detail applied to each pair tends to justify the price tag multiple times over. Just think about it this way: it’s notoriously tricky to find shoes this handsome even when they're not this hardy—and it's even trickier to find ‘em from a brand with Diemme’s pedigree.

Image may contain: Suede, Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, and Sneaker

Diemme

Cornaro Shoes

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, and Sneaker

Diemme

Roccia Vet Sport Boots, 530

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Suede, and Sneaker

Diemme

Movida Sneakers

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, and Sneaker

Diemme

Roccio Basso Hiking Boots

ROA

ROA was founded in Italy in 2015, and it remains one of the more avant-garde imprints in this group (a sentiment that applies to the brand's new-ish clothing line, too, which is worth checking out). Over the years, ROA has mastered the dark arts of merging delightfully bonkers designs with next-level functionality. Everything the brand makes looks a bit like a late stage experiment, but in a way that makes you feel like you’re an early adopter, not a beta tester.

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Running Shoe

ROA

Organiclab.zip Edition Katharina Sneakers

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, and Sneaker

ROA

Andreas Strap Suede and Rubber-Trimmed Cordura® Boots

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Running Shoe

ROA

Cingino Rubber-Trimmed Microfibre Hiking Sneakers

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Running Shoe

ROA

Katharina Rubber and Suede Hiking Sneakers

Tarvas

The team behind Tarvas spends a lot of time in the Finnish woods—hiking, trekking, and otherwise reveling in the unforgiving terrain. When they’re not in the woods, though, they’re based in Helsinki, which boasts its own scary-weather considerations to contend with. The result of that split residency is an assortment of shoes, headlined by the house-speciality Easy Hikers, that are frighteningly adept at handling the shittiest conditions on the planet, whether you encounter them in your backyard or miles away from the city.

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, Canvas, and Suede

Tarvas

Easy Hiker Shoes

Image may contain: Suede, Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Canvas, and Sneaker

Tarvas

Explorer Suede Shoes

Image may contain: Suede, Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Canvas

Tarvas

Forest Bather Shoes

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Suede

Tarvas

Explorer Mid Shoes

Norda

Norda makes one thing and one thing only: trail running shoes built to handle the kind of terrain that usually makes running impossible. Even if you’re not into trail running, the features that define its kicks—breathable uppers, suction-like traction, shock-absorbing midsoles—also happen to make for great running shoes, period.

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Canvas

Norda

003 G+ Slip-On Waterproof Trail Sneaker

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Running Shoe

Norda

001 Trail Running Sneaker

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Running Shoe

Norda

002 Trail Running Sneaker

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Running Shoe

Norda

001 G+ Trail Running Sneaker

Playground

Playground is probably the most obscure brand on this list and, until recently, was practically impossible to find outside of Japan. But when it comes to specs, its pedigree is just about unimpeachable. Every pair of its shoes features a burly, high-traction Vibram sole, nails-tough uppers, one of the coolest lacing systems in a market crowded with 'em. (Keep an eye out for waterproof Gore-Tex membranes.) Are they easy to find? Absolutely not—but they’re finally available in-store stateside (in Silver Lake, if you happen to be in the area) and that alone is worth celebrating.

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Running Shoe

Playground

New Dawn Sneaker

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Playground

Oliver Shoes

Image may contain: Suede, Clothing, Footwear, and Shoe

Playground

Knock2 Shoes

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Playground

Interceptor KTX Shoes

Oakley Factory

A few years ago, Oakley let Brain Dead designer Kyle Ng loose in its extensive backlog of archival hits—and the rest, as they say, is history. For anyone familiar with Ng's work at his own brand, the results have been as good as expected. The hulking Chop Saw silhouette gets a lot of shine in specific corners of the internet—rightfully so: the midsole looks like a Sherman tank and a BattleBot caught mid-scrap—but sleep on the rest of the line at your own peril.

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Suede

Oakley Factory Team

Suede Chop Saw Sneakers

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Oakley Factory Team

Flesh Sneakers

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Glove, and Sneaker

Oakley Factory Team

Chop Saw Mule

Image may contain: Clothing, Footwear, Shoe, Sneaker, and Running Shoe

Oakley Factory Team

Orbital Flesh Sneaker

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