Team Finland in Paralympics is also dressed by Rukka
29.8.2024
Luhta Sportswear Company, which has been responsible for the clothing of the Finnish Olympic team since 2017, dressed the team for the Paris Olympics in July. Now it's time for the Paralympics in the same city. At the Paralympics, the Finnish team will also be wearing Rukka outfits when travelling, at the opening ceremony, the awards ceremony, at representative events and during leisure time.
At the Paris Paralympics, the Finnish team will wear Rukka outfits on the way, in the representative events, in the free skate and on the podium. At the Olympics and Paralympics, athletes will wear the same collection. The design was based on feedback from the athletes and their wishes regarding the materials and functionality of the garments. The ambitious aim was to design a collection that the Finnish team could be proud of, in line with the sustainability theme that was raised at the Paris Games. And we succeeded.
The collection for the Finnish teams was designed with sustainability and circular economy principles in mind as much as possible. The clothing collection contains only necessary and multifunctional products, the materials are recycled or reusable and there are also new innovative materials such as Pure Waste made from spinning and cutting waste, Spinnova made from wood pulp and Sorona, a bio-based fibre that replaces elastane, a challenging material from a textile recycling perspective. Once the Games are over, athletes can choose to return the products to the manufacturer, who will be responsible for extending the life of the products and ensuring that they are properly recycled in line with circular economy principles.
The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games was held in the city's historic Place de la Concorde on Wednesday 28.8. The Finnish team's flag was carried by athletics legend Leo-Pekka Tähti and rider Laura Kangasniemi, who will be making her Paralympic debut. The Games will close with a closing ceremony on Sunday 8 September. In total, 16 athletes from Finland will be competing in six different events: athletics, equestrian events, archery, table tennis, cycling and shooting. The team is entering the Paris Games with positive expectations, aiming for six medals. Eight track and field athletes will be taking part in the Paris Games. Among the already familiar track stars, five-time Paralympic champion Leo-Pekka Tähti and two-time Paralympic champion Toni Piispanen, as well as Amanda Kotaja and Henry Manni, who have won one Paralympic medal so far, will finish their Paralympic careers in Paris.
We wish good luck and success to the team!
Rukka – Official Partner of Finnish Paralympic Committee
The Finnish Olympic team's outfits were designed to meet the requirements of the circular economy
3.7.2024
Since 2017, the Finnish Olympic team has been dressed by Luhta Sportswear Company. For the Paris Olympics in July, the Finnish team will be dressed by Luhta Sportswear Company’s Rukka brand, which specialises in technical and sport-specific clothing, footwear and accessories. The team will wear Rukka outfits when travelling, at the opening ceremony, at the prize-giving ceremonies, at representative events and during leisure time. For the Paris Olympic collection, the ambitious goal was to design a collection that is as close as possible to the principles of the circular economy and of which the Finnish team can be proud, in line with the sustainability theme that was raised at the Paris Games.
Encouraging people to be physically active as well as supporting competitive sports is part of our company's DNA and an integral part of our value base, so we highly value our continued cooperation, states Juha Luhtanen, CEO of Luhta Sportswear Company.
The values shared by the Finnish Olympic Committee, Luhta Sportswear Company and the Paris Games are also reflected in the Olympic team's outfits. The collection supplied to the team takes sustainability and circular economy principles into account as far as possible. The clothing collection includes only necessary and reusable products, materials that are recycled or recyclable and new innovative materials such as Pure Waste, Spinnova and Sorona. Once the Olympic Games are over, Luhta Sportswear Company commits to take back the products if the athlete so wishes and is responsible for extending the life cycle of the products and for their proper further processing, taking into account the principles of the circular economy.
- Equipment is a small but important and visible part of the Olympic Committee's carbon footprint, says Sustainability Specialist Expert Karoliina Ketola of the Finnish Olympic Committee.
- In environmental responsibility, every step in the right direction is important. It is important to us that Luhta has developed the Olympic collection to be more sustainable and in line with the principles of the circular economy. We are particularly pleased that the materials used in the collection include recycled and plant-based fibres developed on the basis of Finnish innovations.
- The Paris Games have taken a broader and more holistic approach to environmental issues. Teams have been instructed on how to reduce the environmental burden of the Games, for example through food and transport choices or by avoiding unnecessary plastic waste. Team Finland can be proud of the fact that environmental responsibility has also been developed in the team's outfits.
- The Olympic collection is designed with quality, longevity and the needs of athletes in mind, tells Luhta Sportswear Company’s Sustainability Director Annamaria Väli-Klemelä. The design of the collection takes into account the efficient use of materials, the possibility to maintain and repair the product and to recycle it. The products are primarily designed to remain in circulation for as long as possible, but further recyclability is facilitated by the use of mono-materials and the avoidance of elastane. Mono-material products made from only one fibre material allow 100% recycling of the product.
- Material technologies have evolved. We have collaborated with innovative material suppliers such as Pure Waste (sweatshirt, trousers and shorts) and Spinnova (t-shirt). Pure Waste material is made from spinning and cutting waste that would otherwise end up as textile waste. Spinnova textile fibre is made from wood pulp without the use of harmful chemicals. Sorona fibre is a bio-based polymer that has been used to replace elastane, a challenging material for textile recycling," says Väli-Klemelä.
- Caring for, repairing and extending the life of clothing is an important way to reduce emissions from the textile industry, and we will include care instructions and environmentally friendly detergents that save clothes in the collection package we provide to the team.
- The collection has been designed to better meet the needs of athletes and the size of the collection and production volumes have been limited. We have received a lot of valuable information from the athletes of the Finnish Olympic team about collections suitable for different competition conditions. The 2021 Summer Olympics were held in hot and humid Tokyo, the 2022 Winter Olympics in cold and windy Beijing. Now the weather conditions in Paris in July and August have been specifically taken into account. Feedback from athletes has been used to design individual products and to select the products to be included in the collection. Only those products that are necessary and as versatile as possible have been selected, and the collection is now a fifth smaller than before, Väli-Klemelä continues.
- We also take responsibility for the entire life cycle of the Olympic clothing collection and help to extend the life of the collection's products. Once the Olympic Games are over, we will take back any items from the collection if the athlete wishes to dispose of them, and pass them on either to a charity or to our recycling partner for appropriate professional treatment.
More Information:
Finnish Olympic Committee: Key Account Manager Karri Koivu, tel. +358 40 511 7721
Luhta Sportswear Company: Corporate Communications Manager Tarja Malinen, tel. +358 40 522 3172
Luhta is proceeding towards its sustainability goals
21.5.2024
Luhta Sportswear Company is developing its activities in line with its long-term sustainability mission "sustainably from one generation to the next". The company believes that investing in sustainability, and in particular the circular economy, is a critical competitive factor for future success in the clothing industry. Sustainability is therefore one of the company's guiding values and a key part of its business. The sustainability of the company is guided by three principles: Carbon neutral own operations by 2030, 100% circular economy-aligned collections by 2040 and sustainable corporate culture for business growth.
- We are on track to meet the targets set in our sustainability programme. Our aim is to develop our activities to enable sustainable choices and raise consumer awareness of responsible consumption. More than 1000 Luhta employees are on our journey together to build a more sustainable future, tells Sustainability Director Annamaria Väli-Klemelä.
The company's new Sustainability Report describes its sustainability work during 2023. The company has systematically developed its operations in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, committing to the ten principles of the Global Compact.
Responsibility is first and foremost about action. The company published a new Code of Conduct for its staff to ensure ethical behaviour and developed its HR functions, with a particular focus on services that support personnel’s health and well-being. Luhta personnel, for their part, worked on the relevance of values to their own work in workshops. On the materials side, a huge number of materials used in products were certified and innovative materials were introduced to support environmental objectives. To promote circular economy work, the company's personnel participated in the first Circular Design training programme supported by the Ministry of the Environment on a cross-sectoral basis. This work was also promoted by developing the ReUse concept through increased product maintenance and repair services and by continuing to work with Rester on textile recycling.
Late last year, the company signed the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) commitment, which enables the company to communicate science-based and comparable targets to its customers and other stakeholders to reduce climate emissions, both in its own operations and across its value chain. The company also developed its carbon footprint calculation and, in line with the GHG Protocol, calculated the global emissions of its value chain according to scope 1-3.
As part of the due diligence process, the company updated its Supplier & Partner Code of Conduct and created the Luhta Human Rights Commitment and company-wide policies on the environment, human rights and animal rights. Every Luhta contract manufacturer and other partner providing services of importance to the company must commit to these common codes of conduct.
Through the company's long and close partnerships, Amfori BSCI audits and its own internal supply chain management process, North Star, the company aims to ensure product quality and good transparency in the value chain. Through North Star, the company conducted a total of 4,550 visits to its partners and produced a total of 231 factory audits during 2023.
Luhta has implemented its 2023 Sustainability Report by applying international GRI standards. From 2025, the company will move to ESRS reporting in line with the EU Sustainability Reporting Directive, CSRD.
- The expectations of our customers and other stakeholders, and in particular the evolving regulatory environment at EU level, are accelerating our development efforts. New legislative initiatives in the pipeline will create their own framework for sustainability work in our sector and in our business. We will follow the pace of regulatory developments with interest and stand ready to develop our activities in the right direction. We are already well on track, for example, in preparing for the requirements of the Ecodesign Regulation and the Digital Product Passport, and developing our due diligence process to meet the OECD's model, tells Väli-Klemelä.
- I am proud of our personnel, who are committed to our common goals and understand the importance of sustainability and the opportunities it creates in developing our business. We have worked hard to build the sustainability skills of our entire global workforce, increase the transparency of our value chain, improve our environmental reporting and promote circular business models, Väli-Klemelä continues.
- We know that there is still a lot to do and we also want our report to openly highlight areas for improvement in our work. We will continue our systematic development work on sustainability issues in line with our strategy and are well on track towards the three main objectives of our sustainability programmes, Väli-Klemelä concludes.
Luhta’s Rukka Olympic collection is the result of long development work
17.4.2024
Luhta Sportswear Company has been responsible for the clothing of the Finnish Olympic team since 2017. For the Paris Olympics in July, the Finnish team will be dressed by Rukka, the company’s brand specializing in technical and sport-specific clothing, footwear and accessories. The team will wear Rukka clothing while travelling, at the opening and awards ceremonies, at formal events and during free time.
Work on the collection began in autumn 2022 with an idea competition organized in collaboration with Aalto University.
“The idea and inspiration for the collection was “light and shadow” – their variation and meaning. In Finland, the amount of light varies with the seasons. In spring, the days get longer and the amount of light increases up to the nightless night of Midsummer. In sports, moments of triumph are celebrated in the spotlight, but behind that is a huge amount of hard work and also dark moments. The colors of the Olympics collection are light in the front and darker in the back, emphasizing the light coming from the front and the shadow in the back,” notes Sales Manager Pasi Luumi from Luhta Sportswear Company.
The collection was designed based on feedback from athletes and their wishes for the materials and functionality of the clothing. In line with the theme of the Paris games, the clothing was also designed to meet the requirements of the circular economy and to optimize the size and production volume of the collection. Recycled materials that support sustainability as well as new material innovations, such as Spinnova, Pure Waste and Sorona, were chosen. Only necessary multifunctional products were selected.
Leena Paavolainen, Director of Games Preparations at the Finnish Olympic Committee, views the new Rukka Olympics collection as a big success.
“We have been working with Luhta on long-term development since the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Our cooperation has deepened every year, and we have learned a lot from each other along the way. Designing the collection has become a truly professional process, and the end result is in many ways at the cutting edge of development.”
In addition to the conditions in Paris, the collection has been designed with the specific needs of athletes in different sports in mind.
“The conditions in Paris are likely to be similar to those in Tokyo Olympic Games, so the collection will have to work in hot conditions,” notes Leena Paavolainen, Chef de Mission of the Paris Olympic team Finland.
“During the design phase of the collection, we have listened to the voice of the athletes through athlete panels and refined the details with individual athletes. The coaching management of the different sports have also been involved in the process. We always arrange athlete- and sport-specific fittings for the collection and specific needs have always been taken well into account.”
Paavolainen emphasizes the importance that a cohesive collection has on team spirit.
“The importance of cohesive apparel is greater than you might think. Nearly 20,000 athletes or team members from more than 200 countries are coming to Paris. Walking and living the Games there among the others will have a big impact on how the Olympic Team Finland looks and is seen. Clothing also has an impact on self-esteem. Wearing Rukka, we see ourselves as a representative and competitive Northern Stars team.”
A selection of Rukka Olympic collection products will be available on Luhta’s and Intersport’s online shops starting 17.4.2024 and later in the spring at selected Luhta Brand Store and Intersport stores around Finland.
Luhta to support free primary school basketball pilot
22.2.2024
Lahti Basketball Junior Organization and Luhta Sportswear Company have decided to work together to inspire more children to take up sport. The two parties piloted a free basketball group at one of Lahti’s primary schools, which is primarily aimed at children who are not involved in sports clubs and who are still looking for a sport they enjoy. The marketing of the group, which is aimed at children in grades 1-4, was carried out in close cooperation with the school's cultural interpreters, so that the communication also reached children from immigrant backgrounds. 46 children signed up!
Everyone has the right to exercise!
We believe that hobbies belong to everyone. That's why it's important to work together to find ways to get more children involved in hobbies. The pilot also aims to involve children from families who are not always informed about hobbies or whose financial situation does not allow them to participate in a club. This is a great partnership for us to be involved in - local, meaningful and targeted at young people.
Participating in the UN Global Compact Business & Human Rights training programme
7.2.2024
Companies' actions have a significant impact on the realisation of human rights throughout the value chain, both for their own employees and those in the supply chain, local communities and end-users of products. We recognise that we as companies also have a wide range of opportunities to contribute to the realisation of human rights.
We are part of the international UN Global Compact Business & Human Rights training programme. The training identifies and assesses the key human rights impacts of our business and learns how to translate the findings into tools and actions to improve processes.
It's going to be a learning-filled spring, during which we will be able to develop our human rights work in concrete ways - good luck to the participants Heidi Auvinen, Maria Storey and Annamaria Väli-Klemelä!
"It's great to be part of a training programme to deepen our knowledge of human rights issues and share ideas with other companies. The programme gives us a hands-on, "fingers on the ground" approach to our work, which I am particularly excited about. I expect that the training will give us lots of food for thought and concrete tools that we can put into practice in developing Luhta Sportswear Company's human rights work." -Heidi Auvinen, Sustainability Specialist
#BizHumanRights#UnitingBusiness
We updated our Code of Conduct
31.1.2024
Luhta's operations comply with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the principles of sustainable development. In addition, the operations are bound by ethical codes of conduct for corporate responsibility (internal Luhta Code of Conduct and Luhta Supplier Code of Conduct) for both the company's own employees and its suppliers and partners.
Each of Luhta's contract manufacturers and other partners must commit to a common code of conduct aimed at ensuring socially, economically and environmentally responsible and transparent practices in Luhta's operations. During 2023, we have defined several new policies to describe the commitments we follow, and in January 2024, we updated the Luhta Supplier Code of Conduct to include policies on human rights, production conditions, child labour, harmful substances, animal rights and the environment, making them more detailed and more binding for our contract manufacturers and other partners.
In the same context, we updated the Code of Conduct for our own staff in late 2023 into a single, clear Luhta Code of Conduct document, and ensured that it is easily accessible to all. With this Code of Conduct, we are aligning the common rules of the game that every Luhta employee has the right and the obligation to follow. The purpose of the Code is to assist staff in making decisions in their daily work and to help them take care of their well-being, the environment and the society around them.
To ensure that these policies are implemented, we will provide training for our own staff in the countries where we operate during 2024, and we will also ensure, monitor and train our partners to ensure that they are aware of and comply with our guidelines in their own organisations.
For more information on the Luhta Supplier Code of Conduct and related policies, please visit our website: Luhta Sportswear Company – Responsible production | Luhta.com.
We signed the Science Based Targets initiative commitment to reduce CO2 emissions
20.12.2023
We have signed the The-Science-Based-Targets-initiative (SBTi) commitment to set CO2 emission reduction targets. By signing, we will set short and long-term targets for our climate work. We are committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and to achieving net-zero targets by 2050.
"Working to mitigate climate change is important. We want to play our part in reducing climate emissions, both in our own operations and across the value chain. SBTi's target setting enables us to communicate science-based and comparable targets to our customers and other stakeholders", says CEO Juha Luhtanen.
We have set a carbon neutrality target for emissions from our own operations (Scopet 1 and 2) by 2030. For emissions from our value chain (Scope 3), we have now identified the most significant emission sources as a first step, and as part of our SBTi target setting we will next set a separate emissions target for our Scope 3 emissions as well. We recognise that to achieve these targets we will need to work closely with our partners and drive change across our value chain.
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a global initiative that supports companies to set emission reduction targets in line with climate science. The initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the UN Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and is one of the commitments of the We Mean Business Coalition. SBTi's target setting is based on a scientific calculation methodology to ensure that business targets are aligned with those signed in the Paris Climate Agreement.
Rukka Awarded Partner of the Year
27.11.2023
On Saturday Nov. 25, 2023, athletes, coaches, officials, clubs, volunteers and partners were honoured at the closing ceremony of Lahden Ahkera sports association in the City of Lahti.
Lahden Ahkera was responsible for organisizing the The Finnish Athletics Championships, known as Kalevan kisat, which took place at Lahti Stadium on July 27-30, 2023.
Rukka, which dressed the volunteers for the Games, was awarded the Partner of the Year award at the event.
Thank you Lahden Ahkera!
Luhta’s retail business to three chains
New fashion chain to be established
27.11.2023
Consumer shopping behaviour has changed, with the purchasing path increasingly starting online. This change also challenged Luhta’s retail business in Finland to respond. The five store chains will be merged into three and the planning of a new fashion chain will be launched.
In Luhta’s retail operations in Finland, it has been decided to streamline the operating model of the existing chains, increase the multichannel visibility of Luhta Sportswear Company’s own brands, and make digital products, services and shopping experience a robust part of the chains’ operations. At the same time, a decision has been made to create a new fashion chain.
As the consumer purchase path increasingly starts online and digital solutions are an important part of the consumer service experience, Luhta too sees the need to continue its systematic development efforts to ensure both the digital visibility of its brands and products and the customer service experience in a multichannel environment.
The company has decided to streamline the operating model of the existing chains in Finland and move from the current five-chain operating model to a new three-chain operating model, and to respond to the change in consumer behaviour with a more robust multichannel service offering, focusing only on sales of the company’s own brand collections already present in the online environment. The three-chain model will be built on the foundation of the existing chains of the fashion-focused Your Face, the casual sportswear and outdoors-focused Luhta Brand Store, and Luhta Outlet, which focuses on sales of previous seasons’ products. As a result of the decision, during 2024-2025 the company will close down the Aleksi 13 chain’s five stores and the Luhta Outdoor Store chain’s 11 stores; of these, the suitable stores will be converted into Luhta Brand Stores alongside the existing 21 stores, mainly during late 2024. In the same conjunction, the company has decided to close the brick-and-mortar Ril’s store in downtown Helsinki and the Ril’s Outlet store in Helsinki Outlet Village due to their unprofitability. Ril’s will open its own shop-in-shop in the Luhta Outlet store in conjunction with its renewal in spring 2024; the Luhta Outlet store has operated in the Outlet Village since its establishment.
In addition to the decisions to merge the chains, the company has decided to increase its investments in the development and offering of its fashion collections and to launch a new design effort to create a fashion chain with a wider target group and larger store size than the current Your FACE concept. The first stores of the new concept are scheduled to open in spring 2025. The aim is to integrate the existing 13 Your FACE stores as part of the new fashion chain during 2025-2026. The intention is also to expand the new chain with new launches.
We joined the UN Global Compact, the world's largest sustainability initiative
30.5.2023
We are strengthening our sustainability work and are now a participant of the UN Global Compact - the world's largest corporate responsibility initiative.
The UN Global Compact is based on the UN's universal principles on human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption. We have a long-standing commitment to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and are committed to the ten Global Compact principles in our operations and in our Code of Conduct. We now wanted to join the ranks of signatory companies to strengthen our contribution to development and to commit to reporting our progress in accordance with the UN Global Compact reporting process.
We are honoured to be part of it!
The 10 principles of the Global Compact
The UN Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment, and anti-corruption. These core values make up the Ten Principles of the UNGC.
Human Rights
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
Labour Standards
Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Environment
Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
Anti-Corruption
Principle 10: Businesses should work against all forms of corruption, including extortion and bribery.
Read more about the Global Compact in Finland: https://www.globalcompact.fi/
Our Christmas donation to mental health work for children and young people
12.12.2022
Christmas is a time for remembering and giving. This year, we will once again donate the money we spend on Christmas cards and gifts to charity. There are many important items – together with our personnel we voted for a donation. This Christmas, our donation will go to Mieli Mental Health Finland’s mental health work with children and young people.
The extraordinary crises in the world have been prolonged and have made many young people even tougher than before. Too many young people have been left alone with their worries.
Mieli Mental Health Finland is doing valuable work to prevent loneliness, bullying and social exclusion among young people. Their chat service gives hope to every young person and helps to solve problems that are weighing on their minds.
Luhta opened a store in Sapporo Japan
19.10.2022
On Saturday October 15 2022, we opened a store focusing on outdoor and sportswear in Sapporo, Hokkaido Island, Japan. The Luhta Outdoor Lifestyle store is designed with its offering to support leisure and outdoor activities in different seasons and in Japan's varying weather conditions. The store environment is clean, fresh and distinctive - in addition to physical products, customers are also introduced to the identity of Finland.
Finnish products have an excellent reputation in Japan, and the design, quality and functionality of Finnish products are perceived as important features. In addition, as the changed global situation and the mega-trend of well-being, which is still going strong, have further strengthened people's desire to be outdoors and in nature, we believe that the Finnish outdoor clothing we offer will be of interest to Japanese consumers.
We are constantly looking for meeting points with consumers to learn about the market and gain insights into consumer preferences. Opening a new retail store is an important step for us and a strong signal of our desire to succeed in the Japanese market.
Rukka of Luhta Sportswear Company dresses the Finnish Olympic teams at the Summer Olympics in Paris 2024
17.8.2022
The well-known and respected Finnish brand Rukka has been chosen to dress the Finnish Olympic team for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris 2024, and the contract will continue until the Winter Olympics in Milan 2026. The collections are designed to meet the high quality standards of elite sport and the conditions at the venues.
The name Rukka is familiar to almost everyone in Finland and a number of sport enthusiasts in Europe. Cross country and alpine skiing, jogging, motorcycling, boating or golf - the brand is familiar to many different sports enthusiasts. What they have in common is technical performance and functionality in the sport for which the garment is designed.
The Rukka label on clothing means high quality and functionality in the sport for which the garment is designed. Rukka products are developed by product development professionals and tested in practice by active enthusiasts and professionals in various sports.
Rukka is a well-known and respected brand in Finland. Steadily growing exports have made the brand known worldwide. The Olympic Games offer an excellent opportunity to increase the visibility and sales of the Rukka brand in the important Central European market.
Luhta Sportswear Company's Olympic partnership continues with the Rukka brand
Since 2017, Luhta Sportswear Company has been responsible for the clothing of the Finnish Olympic team. The partnership will continue with the renewal agreement, but the Icepeak clothing familiar from previous Games will now be replaced by Rukka.
Pasi Luumi, Sales Manager Finland at Luhta Sportswear Company, is delighted that the partnership will continue until 2026:
- Exercising ordinary fitness enthusiasts and supporting competitive sports are both part of our company's DNA and an integral part of our value base, so the continuation of the cooperation is a valuable thing for us.
- We have received a lot of valuable information from the athletes of the Finnish Olympic team about collections suitable for different competition conditions. The 2021 Summer Olympics were held in the sweltering heat of Tokyo, the 2022 Winter Olympics in the cold and windy conditions of Beijing. Now it's time to take the next step and start planning for the upcoming Paris and Milan Cortina Games.
Ville Köngäs, Marketing and Customer Relations Director of the Finnish Olympic Committee, believes it is important that the Finnish Olympic team's outfits continue to come from a Finnish clothing manufacturer:
- The International Olympic Games will involve 206 countries, including both countries known for strong fashion industry and smaller countries without their own clothing industry. It is great that a country the size of Finland can find a suitable clothing manufacturer for its Olympic team from own country. The cooperation agreement between Luhta and the Olympic Committee is significant. In addition to the Paris and Milan Cortina Games, the cooperation will cover the clothing of the Paralympic teams, the Youth Olympic teams and numerous other multi-discipline teams during the contract period. A partnership of this level is of huge importance to us.
Luhta Sportswear Company:
Luhta Sportswear Company is one of the leading clothing companies in the Nordic countries. The family-owned company specializing in active sports and sportswear was founded in 1907 in Lahti, where the company's headquarters are still located. As an established, financially stable and reliable employer, partner and member of society, Luhta is one of the largest textile companies in the Nordic countries. The Group is internationally best known for its Luhta, Icepeak, Rukka, Torstai and Ril's brands. www.luhtasportswearcompany.fi, Rukka: /b/rukka
The Finnish Olympic Committee is a national sports and physical activity organization that works to help Finns move more and succeed in top-level sports. Together with our member organizations and partners, we build vitality in Finland through sport and physical activity.
We condemn the military action – we want to help
7.3.2022
We are shocked and fully condemn the military action in Ukraine. Our thoughts are with the ordinary people whose lives have been devastated by the war, and we want to help. We are donating €500,000 worth of clothing, shoes, blankets and linen to those affected by the conflict in Ukraine. We are also supporting our Ukrainian customers by writing off their debts.
All our deliveries to Russia have been stopped and orders that were about to leave have been cancelled.
Featuring Omerta 6/12
16.11.2021
Luhta Sportswear Company's brands Icepeak, Rukka and Ril's are official partners of Omerta 6/12 movie premiering November 19th.
Omerta 6/12 is an action film directed by Aku Louhimies, based on Ilkka Remes' novel 6/12 (2006). The leading characters are played by Jasper Pääkkönen, Nanna Blondell, Sverrir Gudnason and Cathy Belton. Finland's Independence Day celebration is crudely interrupted by an attack to the Presidential Palace. A set of distinguished guests are taken as hostages. Security service officer Max Tanner, starring Jasper Pääkkönen, is set as the negotiator of the hostage crisis, which proves to be a plan to destabilize the European security.
In the film, you will see Icepeak, Rukka and Ril’s products “in action”. And the products are, of course, available at the Group's retail stores in the Luhta Outdoor Store (Icepeak and Rukka) and at the Ril's Concept Store in Helsinki (Ril's).
Excitement and action promised!
#omertaelokuva #omertamovie #omerta612
Icepeak's Olympic collection for the Tokyo Summer Games was released today!
14.4.2021
At the Tokyo Games, Luhta Sportswear Company will supply all the clothing of the Finnish Olympic team's athletes for representational use, leisure, training and warm-up outside the sport itself.
Success for the Finnish team!
Luhta Sportswear Company’s retail operations expand
15.11.2019
Luhta Sportswear Company’s retail operations expanded this autumn with nine new stores. Stores were opened in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Hämeenlinna, Seinäjoki, and in Eben, Austria.
The Mall of Tripla opened its doors in Pasila, Helsinki, in mid-October. Three Luhta Sportswear Company retail stores were also opened in the mall: Aleksi 13, offering fashions for women and men, Luhta Brand Store for casual clothing, and Top Sport, specializing in sportswear.
The beginning of November brought the opening of Luhta Outlet, offering collections from previous seasons and close-out and special selections, at the Helsinki Outlet close to the Helsinki airport. Central Europe’s Luhta Outlet network was strengthened in November with the opening of a new store in Eben, Austria.
Seinäjoki Ideapark shopping mall in Westerns Finland opened its doors in mid-November. Three Luhta Sportswear Company’s retail stores were also opened in the mall: Luhta Brand Store, Top Sport, and Your FACE, specializing in women’s fashion with a high level of service. In October, the Group opened a Luhta Home Concept Shop, specializing in home textiles and accessories, at Shopping Center Goodman in Hämeenlinna.
Luhta set to acquire the Austrian footwear manufacturer Dachstein
1.2.2019
Luhta Sportswear Company acquired a stake in the footwear manufacturer Dachstein last summer. The ownership arrangements continue, and Luhta will now acquire the rest of the footwear manufacturer’s business activity. The goal of the acquisition is to further strengthen Luhta Sportswear Company’s footwear expertise and to support Dachstein’s internationalization.
Luhta Sportswear Company will now acquire the rest of the Austrian footwear manufacturer Dachstein from its main owner Austro Holding. The acquisition supports Dachstein’s internationalization to add footwear expertise for Luhta Sportswear Company’s outdoor segment. So far Luhta Sportswear Company has designed and manufactured outdoor and casual footwear under the Luhta and Icepeak brands.
“Dachstein is a very interesting, traditional outdoors-segment brand that is growing strongly in a modern way. As a new owner, Luhta wants to strongly support its international growth strategy. Dachstein perfectly complements the Luhta product and brand portfolios (Icepeak, Luhta, Rukka and Torstai) that are growing our company in the outdoor and sportswear markets,” described Vesa Luhtanen, Managing Director, Luhta Sportswear Company the background of the acquisition last summer.
Kerstin Gelbmann, Managing Director of Austro Holding, the company selling its share, is pleased to have Luhta as a new owner that will develop the footwear brand further. The new ownership is expected to improve Dachstein’s position as an innovative footwear brand in the German-speaking region of Europe, which is a strong export area for Luhta Sportswear Company.
Luhta Sportswear Company’s most recognized brands are Luhta, Icepeak, Rukka, Torstai, Ril’s and Your FACE. Additionally, the Group includes the Aleksi 13 retail chain focusing on comprehensive fashion, the Luhta Brand Store chain focusing on casual sportswear, the Your FACE and Ril’s stores offering women’s fashions, the TopSport sportswear chain and Luhta Outlet factory outlets offering collections from previous seasons. In 2017 the Company’s turnover was EUR 245 million and it employed 1,700 people. The Company’s main markets are in Finland, Germany, France, Russia and the Netherlands.
Dachstein – Austro Holding
Dachstein has over 90 years of experience as a footwear manufacturer. Since 1925 the Dachstein brand has been associated with traditional Austrian shoemaking craftsmanship and imaginative ideas. For Dachstein, alpinism is about much more than just sport or competition. It’s a philosophy, a way of life and a passion. The main shareholder of Dachstein is currently the Austrian investment company Austro Holding.
Additional information:
Tarja Malinen, Corporate Communications and Marketing, tel. +358 40 522 3172, email: tarja.malinen@luhta.fi
Luhta 110 Years – An international Finnish success story
20.4.2018
For Luhta, 2017 has been a celebratory year for two reasons. Finland has been celebrating its 100 years of independence, and Luhta its 110-year history. Over the years, the company has grown from a small sewing workshop to an internationally successful business operating on multiple continents.
In 1907, Vihtori Luhtanen founded his own company in Lahti with his wife, Jenny. First, they purchased a sewing machine, and, later they brought home an embroidery machine from their trip to Helsinki. Their business idea was to combine Jenny’s craftwork skills with Vihtori’s sales talent. Vihtori started off by doing business at the market square in Lahti, selling men’s and women’s underwear and aprons embroidered by Jenny. Sales were successful, and so the Luhtanens broadened their selection to cover new products. As well as aprons, their range now also included cotton work shirts, moleskin, nanking and everlasting trousers, as well as regatta shirts, the fashion items of their time.
Soon the smaller room in the Luhtanen home was converted into a shop, and they branched out into selling their products to travelling salesmen and to small shops in the neighbouring villages. Vihtori employed more seamstresses, and so the business started to grow and expand in its operations.
The first Luhta sewing workshop was set up in Anttilanmäki, Lahti. The company later moved to the centre of Lahti, where a sales outlet was also opened. From downtown Lahti, the main office moved to a new business building in Asemantausta, where it operated from 1989 to 1992. Today, the company’s headquarters is still located in its hometown of Lahti, now in a fine twelve-storey high-rise building beside the motorway to Helsinki, with good connections to Helsinki Airport as well. Since its beginnings 110 years ago, Luhta has grown from a small sewing workshop to an international clothing business.
Growth through outerwear manufacturing
For more than one hundred years, Luhta has mastered the upward and downward phases of the economic cycle. At the same time, the world around it has changed, and the operating environment has transformed enormously. The ability and will to change have been key elements in Luhta’s success, both in designing collections as well as in developing and diversifying the company’s operations.
In the 1960s, Luhta created a clothing range that was more modern, technically lighter and suitable for everyday use. Consumers started to be better off than in previous decades, and in addition to having more money and choice, they quickly learnt to demand more and better products. People were keen to buy new and fashionable clothing, and wanted it to be high-quality, easy-care, well-fitting and comfortable. Luhta fulfilled these wishes creating the supply to meet consumer demands. Providing consumers with a continually up-dated product range and collections is vital, year after year. In short, the combination of an unbeatable price-quality ratio and modern design and look is the key to success.
Of all the single brands of the Group, Icepeak is one of the major international success stories. Icepeak was established in 1996 and is widely sold in Europe. The brand is sold in over 50 countries altogether, with the newest export countries being Japan and the USA. Furthermore, the brand has a shop chain in China. On foreign markets Icepeak doesn’t bring its Finnish roots to the fore, and at home also the brand has a predominantly international image rather than a Finnish one.
Better Performance and Efficiency
Finland is where everything happens – the design and marketing of all Luhta Group’s brands, as well as steering the engine of the corporation. Product manufacture has moved away from the domestic market over the past several decades. Manufacturing was transferred to Portugal at the end of the 1960s and beginning to the 1970s, then to the Baltic countries and Russia in the 1990s, and to the Far East in the 21st century. Most of Luhta’s manufacturing operations are located in China, where a subsidiary is responsible for production.
The whole 21st century has been a time of strong growth, development, investments and change to the company. Until now, most of Luhta’s expansion has been within Europe. In the coming years, the strongest growth will be sought from further afield, including from China, the USA and Japan. Among the preparations for this growth are modernisation and automation of the logistics centre in Finland, and construction of a bigger and more functional logistics centre for the Chinese subsidiary. Due to these investments, Luhta will improve both its deliverability and efficiency.
Visibility through Sponsoring
Luhta has sponsored many renowned top athletes and public figures with great success. Among these are Formula 1 world champion Keke Rosberg, race car driver Ari Vatanen, ice hockey player Jari Kurri and American movie star Don Johnson. Luhta is also known as the outfitter of winter competitions for many decades. The company has provided apparel for national team athletes in winter sports games and at a number of Winter Olympics games since the 1960s, for example in Zakopane, Squaw Valley and Oslo. Luhta has been the official outfitter of the Lahti winter sports games for several decades. This cooperation began in 1978, when Luhta had the honour of being the clothing supplier for the World Championships for the first time.
At the 2017 Nordic World Ski Championships, Luhta and Icepeak brands were highly visible to spectators, both on location and to TV viewers. In addition, the 2,500 organisers involved in the event wore the Finnish manufacturer’s apparel. Sports events will be the surroundings for the company’s brands in the future as well: the Finnish Olympic team will represent Finland in apparel designed and manufactured by Luhta in PyeongChang in 2018, in Tokyo in 2020, and in Beijing in 2022.
Full Circle
Retail business has grown into an inseparable part of Luhta Group’s operations throughout this century. At the turn of the millennium, one of the most significant decisions in the company’s history was made at Luhta with the company broadening from traditional industrial clothing to the retail business. Vihtori Luhtanen started off as a market vendor at the beginning of the 20th century. Now retail business is part of all the Luhta’s divisions, so we have come full circle.
The retail shop chains of the Group offer diverse services to consumers. Aleksi 13 shops are centred around the capital and the city of Tampere. Your FACE shops cover the biggest towns from the middle of Finland southwards. Luhta Brand Store shops are already in operation in nearly 20 locations, and more are being opened at a steady pace. Luhta Outlet has also grown into a national network of shops. The sportswear chain TopSport was bought in 2015. Following the acquisition, Luhta gained its own distribution channel to the sports shop sector. Luhta is making its very first venture into the children’s clothing market with Luhta Kids Store. In autumn 2017, Luhta opened the first two shops, one in Hämeenlinna and another in the Aleksi 13 department store in Helsinki.
The Luhta aClass Customer Loyalty Programme operates in all of the shop chains of the company and it currently includes around 700,000 members. The more customers purchase from the Group’s shops, the more they benefit. Luhta aClass members also receive exclusive offers.
Luhta has gained ground in international retail markets, as well. Luhta Finland Fashion chain will open its 34th shop in Russia before the year-end. The first Luhta Outlet shops have already been launched in Germany. This year, the first Icepeak Store was set up in Italy and the number of Luhta shops exceeded one hundred. The retail business has also been expanded to China. Enquiries began a couple of years ago, with the goal of opening 70 Icepeak shops in the country by the end of 2017.