About AKU

AKU is an Italian footwear company founded in Montebelluna, the historic sports-footwear district at the foot of the Dolomites. We design and build outdoor, hunting and professional footwear with a clear focus: comfort fitting, long-term reliability, and responsible manufacturing. From UK hill days in persistent rain to technical ground, woodland hunting and safety-led professional use, AKU footwear is engineered to feel secure, predictable and comfortable over time.

 

What “AKU” means

“The aku-aku, as told by ancient Easter Island legend, are the spirits of the ancestors who guide us from afar.” The name reflects AKU’s connection to nature and a conscious approach to outdoor living and work: free but aware, dynamic but responsible.

AKU in one sentence:
We design the first step towards an authentic and responsible experience for outdoor enthusiasts and professional operators, creating footwear of excellence while limiting environmental effects and aiming for positive impact on nature and community.
 

Italian roots. European manufacturing.

AKU is a family-run company founded by Galliano Bordin, shoemaker in Montebelluna. Craftsmanship remains central: most models are still assembled by hand, with design and development carried out directly within AKU’s production system. AKU operates in Europe with headquarters and production in Montebelluna (Italy) and a major production site in Cluj Napoca (Romania), with additional European production referenced in Serbia.

 

Comfort fitting: AKU’s signature

Comfort fitting is a core identifier of AKU footwear, built around the anatomical care of the shoe construction form (the last). AKU aims for an ideal synthesis of comfort and precision across classic hiking, technical mountaineering and professional-use footwear.

Learn how fit intent changes by category: Fit Guidance  |  Size Guide

Reliability, durability and testing

AKU footwear is developed through a long process and verified through stress tests in the field with mountain guides, mountaineers, experienced users and professional operators. Verification continues after launch as part of ongoing technical improvement, with materials selected to match functional use and durability requirements.
 

Our worlds: outdoor, hunting, professional

AKU specialises in OUTDOOR, HUNTING and PROFESSIONAL footwear, distributed globally across more than 50 markets. Each range is built for its real context: terrain, climate, load and time on feet.

```

Outdoor

Hiking, backpacking, approach and mountaineering footwear designed for stability, comfort fitting and confidence on mixed terrain.

Shop Outdoor

Hunting

Woodland and mountain hunting footwear designed for long, quiet days on wet grass, leaf litter and uneven ground, with supportive control.

Shop Hunting

Professional

Footwear for professionals operating in diverse conditions, designed to be safe and reliable, with a deliberate focus on wearing comfort.

Shop Professional
```
 

Technology that serves real outcomes

AKU combines Italian manufacturing tradition with research into materials and construction systems that support climate comfort, stability and fit control. Technology appears where it matters: underfoot traction, internal climate, and fit precision.

  • Gore-Tex® (model-dependent): waterproof/breathable linings for durable protection in wet conditions. Gore-Tex® explained
  • AIR8000® (model-dependent): AKU upper construction technology developed to increase breathability of mountain footwear. AIR8000® explained
  • IMS (Internal Midsole System) (model-dependent): an insole construction system designed to capture foot anatomy, distribute pressure, reduce slippage and support shock absorption and comfort.
  • Elica Natural Stride System (model-dependent): integrated last/assembly insole/midsole/tread system designed to follow plantar anatomy and support natural support and thrust. Elica explained
  • Vibram® (model-dependent): soles and compounds selected and designed for the intended use of each model. Vibram® explained
  • AKU Tenuta Grip (model-dependent): outsole compound and tread designed for mixed and off-road use, with a grip focus on smooth and wet surfaces.
 

Responsibility, measured

AKU’s responsible commitment is grounded in a systematic approach: design to reduce consumption and environmental impact, selection of raw materials, and low-emission production logistics solutions. AKU was the first footwear company worldwide to certify the environmental impact of its models through the EPD Environmental Product Declaration protocol (starting in 2017), and later adopted a Carbon Footprint Systematic Approach to quantify CO2 equivalent emissions per shoe. Since 2022, AKU publishes an annual Responsibility Report describing actions taken to generate positive impact through industrial activity.

 

Design to reduce

Footwear designed with an approach aimed at reducing consumption and environmental impact, through material selection, reuse-oriented processes, and low-emission logistics solutions.

Design to perform

High-performance functional footwear for outdoor sports and professional use in critical environmental contexts, designed to enhance fit comfort and precision, internal climate and stability in action.
 

Key milestones

  • 1985: SLOPE GTX arrives as an early AKU hiking icon and an early outdoor model featuring a Gore-Tex membrane.
  • 1991: AIR8000® upper construction is introduced to increase breathability.
  • 1993: Cluj Napoca (Romania) factory opens as a major production site.
  • 1999: CONERO GTX is introduced, paired with the exclusive Vibram® Fourà sole.
  • 2017: EPD environmental product declaration is obtained for BELLAMONT PLUS.
  • 2018: AKU supports the Ice Memory international scientific programme.
  • 2021: Carbon Footprint Systematic Approach certification supports science-based CO2 calculation per model.
  • 2022: Annual Responsibility Report begins publication.

Repair and care extend service life: Repairs & Care

 

If you are searching for Italian hiking boots, waterproof Gore-Tex® walking boots for UK conditions, Vibram® sole trekking boots, hunting boots for woodland and mountain ground, or professional PPE and duty footwear with comfort-focused fit, you are in the right place. Explore AKU collections by activity and by family to find the right platform for your terrain and time on feet.

```
 

Shop by Family   |   Outdoor   |   Hunting   |   Tactical   |   Professional   |   Technology & Fit

```