Merrell is an American manufacturing company of

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serve the purpose of protective clothing, protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from rough ground; stability on slippery ground; and temperature. *Shoes and si ...

products. It was founded by Clark Matis, Randy Merrell, and John Schweizer in 1981 as a maker of high-performance hiking boots. Since 1997, the company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of

Wolverine World Wide Wolverine World Wide, Inc. or Wolverine Worldwide, is a publicly traded American footwear manufacturer based in Rockford, Michigan. The shoemaker is known for its eponymous brand, Wolverine Boots and Shoes, as well as other brands, such as Hush ...

. Products currently commercialized by Merrell include

hiking boot A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "H ...

s, athletic shoes,

sandal Sandals are an open type of shoe, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can sometim ...

jacket A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. Jackets without sleeves are vests. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and ...

knit cap A knit cap, colloquially known as a beanie, is a piece of knitted headwear designed to provide warmth in cold weather. It usually has a simple tapered shape, although more elaborate variants exist. Historically made of wool, it is now often mad ...

glove A glove is a garment covering the hand, with separate sheaths or openings for each finger including the thumb. Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a ...

t-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt, or tee for short) is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shir ...

hoodie A hoodie is a type of sweatshirt with a hood that, when worn up, covers most of the head and neck, and sometimes the face. The most common 'pullover' style hoodies often include a single large knife pocket or muff on the lower front, whil ...

shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they ar ...

, and

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...

s. Other accessories include

backpack A backpack, also called knapsack, schoolbag, rucksack, pack, booksack, bookbag, haversack, packsack, or backsack, is in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders; b ...

stuff sack Stuff, stuffed, and stuffing may refer to: *Physical matter *General, unspecific things, or entities Arts, media, and entertainment Books *''Stuff'' (1997), a novel by Joseph Connolly *''Stuff'' (2005), a book by Jeremy Strong Fictional ch ...

s, and

bag A bag, also known regionally as a sack, is a common tool in the form of a floppy container, typically made of cloth, leather, bamboo, paper, or plastic. The use of bags predates recorded history, with the earliest bags being lengths of animal s ...

History

1981–1986: Origins

Merrell was established in 1981 when two executives for the Rossignol ski company, Clark Matis and John Schweizer, launched a new maker of hiking boots. The pair joined forces with Randal Ivan Merrell (R.I. Merrell), a maker of praised custom boots which retailed for $500 a pair.Niemi, Wayne. (January 17, 2011). "Upward Bound". '' Footwear News''. Vol. 67, no. 2. p. 18. Matis set to work designing a more affordable high-performance boot, which was developed in 1982. Plans were made for production of the new line in factories located in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, a leading exporter of footwear to the world market at the time. In 1983, the new Merrell company delivered its first product to the market, making shipments to a pair of east coast retailers specializing in hiking gear. In 1986, Randy Merrell sought to return to his previous life as a maker of custom boots and sold his share of the company bearing his name. That same year the company sold its 25,000th pair of boots.

1987–1992: Sale to Karhu

In 1987, Merrell was purchased by Karhu. The new owners moved production of Merrell products to Asia, reducing retail prices and expanding sales. In 1988, sales of Merrell products topped the $4 million mark. A period of rapid growth for Merrell followed with 1989 sales increasing by 50%, to the $6 million mark. By 1990, some 300,000 pairs of shoes and boots were being sold annually, with sales for the year topping the $10 million mark for the first time. The company became a global enterprise, with divisions established in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

and the United States. The year 1992 saw another doubling of the company's sales volume, topping the $20 million mark. By the middle of the decade, Merrell products were being sold in 22 countries.

1993–2007: Sale to Wolverine World Wide

In 1997, Karhu sold Merrell to

, a large footwear corporation which manufactures

Hush Puppies Hush Puppies is an American brand of casual footwear. A division of Wolverine World Wide, Hush Puppies is headquartered in Rockford, Michigan. Wolverine also licenses the Hush Puppies name for apparel, toys and accessories. Hush Puppies uses a ...

shoes and Wolverine brand boots. In the year of the Wolverine acquisition, Merrell sales volume totaled $23 million.Niemi, Wayne. (January 17, 2011). "Making Merrell". ''Footwear News''. Vol. 67, no. 2. p. 13. Wolverine introduced a new lighter-weight sensibility to the line, beginning with a

trail running Trail running is a type of running that takes place on outdoor trails, often in mountainous terrain, and often includes significant ascents and descents. It is similar to both mountain running, mountain and fell running (also known as hill r ...

shoe called the "Jungle Runner".Niemi, Wayne. (January 17, 2011). "The Next Chapter: Wolverine President and CEO Blake Krueger Reveals How the Brand Plans to Exploit New Growth Opportunities". ''Footwear News''. Vol. 67, no. 2. p. 14. This initial foray into lightweight footwear was not a commercial success, but a team led by Clark Matis came up with the idea of using a very aggressive trail running

outsole A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

with a casual slip-on upper made of pigskin suede, a material previously perfected and used extensively in the Hush Puppies line. The work of Matis' design group culminated with the introduction of what would become the brand's signature shoe, the "Jungle Moc." The new product was a success, with total shipments of Jungle Mocs hitting 3.5 million pairs by 2002 and 10 million by 2009. In 2007, the Merrell line was expanded to include apparel and accessories. By 2010, Merrell products were being sold in 151 countries. The brand generates the most revenue in Wolverine World Wide's portfolio.

2008–present

On November 30, 2022, Merrell was voted the Brand of the Year at the Footwear News Achievement Awards (FNAA). In the third quarter of sales that ended Oct. 1, 2022, Merrell posted its total revenue of $198.6 million, up 33.6% since the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

in 2020. In 2023, Merrell was rated the top barefoot running shoe for beginners by ''

Wired Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...

''. The idea behind a minimalist running shoe is less cushioning and support for more foot engagement. Along with the barefoot running shoes, Merrell has been called one of the top beginner hiking boot companies. As stated in ''

The Strategist ''The Strategist'' is a product review website published by ''New York'' Magazine. Launched online in 2016, the site takes its name from ''New Yorks six-time National Magazine Award–winning print service section. History The Strategis ...

'', The Merrell Moab 3 is "waterproof, sturdy, and relatively affordable ... a classic".

Sponsorships and philanthropy

In 2015, Merrell announced its partnership with Tough Mudder to host over 60 Tough Mudder events in six countries. In partnership with the

National Recreation and Park Association The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on utilizing parks and recreation to build strong, vibrant and resilient communities. They invest in and champion the work of professionals in the field ...

(NRPA), Merrell has created the Changing Nature of Work Award, which sponsors projects related to parks and recreation. In September 2023, Merrell invited six athletes to run 3.2 miles up the technical dirt hiking trails of Colorado’s Steamboat Ski Resort, climbing 2,200 feet with an average grade of 12 percent, with the promise of sponsoring the top male and female to set a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) record. Morgan Elliott’s effort was verified as the initial men’s “Base to Thunderhead” FKT and Mercedes Siegle-Gaither and Sara Aranda tied for the new women’s FKT.

Footnotes

External links

* {{Sports equipment brands Wolverine World Wide Sportswear brands Athletic shoe brands Boots Shoe brands Companies based in Kent County, Michigan Clothing companies established in 1981 1981 establishments in Vermont 2000s fashion 2010s fashion American companies established in 1981