The Finnish Bear

Karhu's story began just over a century ago when a small workshop was set up in downtown Helsinki by Ab Sportartiklar Oy. At first this workshop produced sports equipment, such as javelins and skis made from locally sourced birch wood. This Finnish birch had a massive advantage in that it was more lightweight and flexible. Their equipment became well known for the quality, and after 4 years they established the name Karhu - Finnish for "bear".

It didn't take long for them to realize that all of their gear was absolutely top class, and so by the 1950s Karhu had began to make their own trainers. They made athletic runners, and as time went on, began to develop lifestyle ranges. We love a good heritage sports brand here at Heroes, and this season we've stocked sneaks from two of their packs - the "Tonal" and the "Linnut".

The 'Tonal Pack' consists of simple, monochrome styles with minimal design notes, proper Scandinavian, and the 'Linnut Pack', named after Finnish for "bird", focuses on a more vibrant scheme, for example the Aria sneak which uses the same colour scheme as the bird it's named after.

Ideal for long days out this spring, jump into a pair of these sneaks and you'll go for miles.

Fashionably functional. Nautically fashionable.

The sea is heavily steeped in tradition for the Heroes tribe. Our shop and headquarters in the town centre of Ulverston, Cumbria joins a straight road which goes almost directly to the bay, before cutting out into the Irish Sea, and our camp is the starting point for a coastal bike ride every Thursday with almost cult-like consistency. If something ain't broken, why fix it?

Well, whilst we have a solid love for our northern shores, we can't help but feel an envy for water above 0°C and lust for a sunny day, for it's beautifully grim up north. Top of the long list of enviable people we find La Paz. Based in Porto, the second largest city in Portugal, and facing out into the Atlantic ocean, I bet those guys get some rad weather to play on the sand.

As heavily as the Working Class traditions are influenced by our sea, La Paz's collections are inspired by their ocean. The energy that goes into their clothing is a reflection of the people, the cultures, and the styles that pepper the coast line on both sides. Based in Portugal, their name is the same as the Bolivian capital, and can be translated from Portuguese to mean 'peace'. The colour palette, the silhouettes and the patterns all serve as a reminder of the sea and of nautical culture, with a constant effort to make their wares as durable as possible, and to reimagine older styles with a more contemporary twist.

La Paz's tender care doesn't just go into the design of their clothing, but into the production as well. They work with only the best local manufacturers near their shop in Porto to ensure that everything they create is made with the upmost care, and to the highest degree of quality. So far we're painting a pretty noble picture of La Paz.

For the first time in a while we got a sunny day where a down jacket wasn't a necessity, so we took some La Paz to the bay for some pics. With his head smothered in sunscreen, Tom Bowden looked out onto the bay, appreciated the simplicity of the sea and the finery he was donning, and thought about his bike. It was a Thursday, after all.

Shop La Paz here.

A Brief Look at Oliver Spencer

Oliver Spencer is one of Britain's biggest fashion designers. Based in London, his clothing is incredible and holds a distinct and instantly recognizable style as he reinvents old classics such as the grandad shirt with more modern, contemporary materials and design notes, and focusing on uncompromised quality when it comes to the production.

We going to take a quick look into the man himself, passing on the story of his humble beginning - everyone loves an underdog-gone-top dog.

His journey began in art school, where he was becoming stressed and impatient with the limitations that it imposed, and so he decided to go at it alone, working at his own stall in London's Portobello Market. From here he gained a passion for garment and cloth, and became a self-taught shopkeeper. After he learned how to run the stock, he learned how to create it - he learned all of the little tricks and details that go into designing an amazing piece of fashion.

This job pushed him into a career of design, expanding his formalwear brand Favourbrook for over a decade before finding his own self-titled label in 2002. For 16 years the brand has been going strong, with celebrities and fashionistas alike owning his clothing in the spotlight. We don't consider ourselves either of these things - we definitely aren't celebs and if you ever see us on a Monday morning, bin-liner chic comes to mind, but we heavily appreciate his clothing as well. We hope you do, too.

Shop Oliver Spencer here.

Greenland Updated: New Jackets for a New Expedition

Sweden's first and foremost outerwear brand, Fjallraven's tale began long ago, dating back as far as 1950 when founder and visionary of the outdoors, Åke Nordin, developed his first backpack frame. This set the man off on a journey which would come back round, over half a century later. As far as cold, hard facts are concerned, Fjallraven really began 10 years later in 1960 when the brand was founded in Örnsköldsvik with the purpose of creating and selling incredible backpacks for grounded folk who wanted to climb higher (literally).

It was in 1968 when Åke was inspired by an expedition to Greenland two years earlier that he decided to piece together Fjallraven's first garment, appropriately named the Greenland jacket. Designed to be more than proficient in mountaineering and harsh climates, the original jacket that no doubt many would see as primitive represented more than just high quality protection for the day. It represented an entire generation of Swedes who sought to leave the city behind, and to explore the natural wonders that Scandinavia and the rest of the world had to offer.

That year was 1968. Only mathematic zealots will be able to crunch the numbers that '68 was 50 years ago. And only historians can figure out that it was half a century ago.

In celebration of the original Greenland Jacket, the brand with the arctic fox logo have released a Greenland Updated collection, including a premium anniversary jacket which has been directly modeled on the original, as well as reimagined silhouettes to provide a more ergonomic fit for the brave adventurer. The new technology which has been sewn into the jacket includes Fjallraven's G-1000 Eco canvas which is made from a 100% recycled blend of polyester and cotton, balancing perfectly weight and comfort.

Along with the newly released collection, it made total sense for the Swedes to revisit the land which inspired Åke, only this visit had a deeper and more profound reason behind it. The Greenland ice sheet is the second biggest in the world, bested only by the Antarctic, and since the 1966 expedition the summer melts have been increasing dramatically in both scale and length. Its sheer sun-reflecting ability moderates global temperatures, and the newly melted ice mitigates ocean circulation patterns. If it all melts, the global sea levels will rise by 7.2m. Bye bye coastal condos.

To capture the expedition and to take readings and raise awareness, Fjallraven brought along award-winning photographer Klaus Thymann as well as climate scientists Gabriel Lewis and Karina Graeter. I would highly recommend checking out the full expedition as the scenery is beautiful and the size of Greenland is quite overwhelming. In the meantime however, if you fancy bagging yourself a decent jacket and supporting the environment all in one, our stock of the new and updated jackets are online.

I gotta go and recycle something.

Cold Arm

Tom wears a gilet. Tom has cold arms. Don't be like Tom.

And yes, we stole that joke!

Another season, another measure. In fact, it's the same good old measure as last season. It's Good Measure!

Back on the scene, not that they ever left, with their new "Lonely Hearts Pack". As one would expect, the summer vibing pastel colours and the names for the palette come from some old band called The Silverfish or something. Paul, George, Ringo and John, whoever they are.

In all seriousness though, I know they're from One Direction. The range consists of decent, heavyweight pocket t-shirts, the classic M-21 Sweatshirt which is by far the best sweatshirt I've ever come across, and the short sleeved M-16, which somewhat pushes the boundaries of a sweatshirt but summer can be tricksy and maybe it's exactly what we need.

Made from 100% cotton, designed and manufactured in England, Good Measure truly represents the north west's heritage in the garment industry. A piece of kit from these boys will last you many years to come!