The minä perhonen label name originates in Finnish, as designer Akira Minagawa sympathized with Scandinavian culture when he first visited Finland at the age of 19. In Finnish, minä means ‘I’ and perhonen means ‘butterfly,’ resulting in the name “minä perhonen.”

 The brand was founded with a strong desire to create beautiful designs like those of the butterfly’s wings. minä perhonen’s reflection on society and poetic sentiments towards the natural world combine well with Karhu’s 100 year old brand history and appreciation of the Finnish outdoors. Against this background the collaboration was created, a universal design, yet a new take on the everyday present.

 The Karhu “Albatross 82,” a Japanese favourite, is selected as the base for two of minä perhonen’s fabric designs. Light-inspired watercolours inside pencil drawn ovals printed on fabric, is the textile design called “jellybeans”. The second design, “land puzzle” combines different patterns of weave structures and represents a wide view of earth as if flying above the sky. The insoles feature the logos of both partners. The shoe box features minä perhonen’s iconic “tambourine” textile design.

 The Karhu x minä perhonen ALBATROSS 82 sneakers will be launched on Saturday the 18th of January at minä perhonen’s flagship stores, Karhu.com, the Karhu Concept Store in Helsinki and globally at a select group of premium retailers.