Our Story
Our Brand
VJ is the outcome of decades of footwear craftsmanship, hailing from the small town of Orivesi in the dense forests of central Finland.
Crafted through thousands of hours of R&D and an enduring passion to create the best performing running shoes possible.
The most advanced running shoes for extreme conditions — designed and created to improve the wearer’s performance, grip in all conditions, and allow the individual to go faster across extreme terrain.
Our Story
Our story begins in 1981 when a shoemaker and orienteering enthusiast could not find the right shoe for their sport. This sparked the idea to create shoes specifically designed for the rough and slippery terrain.
Having a background in the footwear industry, we were able to set up our own shoe factory in our hometown of Orivesi, and so VJ was born. We soon proved our expertise to orienteers and athletes in extreme sports by producing shoes with exceptional durability, superior grip and high quality craftmanship.
To this day, VJ still follows the standards set all those years ago. Using cutting-edge technology, high-quality materials and uncompromising values, we produce shoes with the best grip on the planet.
Our shoes have helped many athletes in various all-terrain sports including trail running, OCR, skyrunning and orienteering achieve their dreams and win world championships.
For us, in the centre of everything is pure performance and well-designed products that will stand the test of time. That is why the world’s best athletes and adventurers choose VJ shoes.
Our Brand
VJ is the outcome of decades of footwear craftsmanship, hailing from the small town of Orivesi in the dense forests of central Finland.
Crafted through thousands of hours of R&D and an enduring passion to create the best performing running shoes possible.
The most advanced running shoes for extreme conditions — designed and created to improve the wearer’s performance, grip in all conditions, and allow the individual to go faster across extreme terrain.
Our Story
Our story begins in 1981 when a shoemaker and orienteering enthusiast could not find the right shoe for their sport. This sparked the idea to create shoes specifically designed for the rough and slippery terrain.
Having a background in the footwear industry, we were able to set up our own shoe factory in our hometown of Orivesi, and so VJ was born. We soon proved our expertise to orienteers and athletes in extreme sports by producing shoes with exceptional durability, superior grip and high quality craftmanship.
To this day, VJ still follows the standards set all those years ago. Using cutting-edge technology, high-quality materials and uncompromising values, we produce shoes with the best grip on the planet.
Our shoes have helped many athletes in various all-terrain sports including trail running, OCR, skyrunning and orienteering achieve their dreams and win world championships.
For us, in the centre of everything is pure performance and well-designed products that will stand the test of time. That is why the world’s best athletes and adventurers choose VJ shoes.
VJ shoe DNA
Outsole Technology
We use special butyl rubber (IIR) to create grip like never seen before. Butyl rubber outsole is softer than compound rubber and because of that the traction in difficult and wet terrain is exceptional.
Fitting
The Fitlock system locks the foot in place, supports the arch and protects from impacts from below.
Even in wet terrain, our unstretchable uppers provide a snug and comfortable fit. The shoes’ lining is closed cell foam which guarantees the perfect fit without extra weight, even when soaked.
High-quality Material Choices
We only use durable and high-quality materials in our shoes to ensure the best performance possible.
VJ's history
VJ was founded in Orivesi and the first orienteering shoe was manufactured.
VJ's history
The first studded orienteering shoes
VJ's history
The first winter running shoes
VJ's history
Studded winter outdoor collection was launched
VJ's history
The first iteration of the VJ Bold was introduced, which featured a revolutionary aramid fiber upper
VJ's history
iRock was the first shoe that featured a butyl rubber outsole, which paved the way for a new generation of performance and grip
VJ's history
The first OCR world championship was won wearing the VJ iRock
VJ's history
The VJ XTRM was introduced, which further opened the doors to trail running, swimrun, skyrunning and OCR
VJ's history
VJ's online store was launched
VJ's history
VJ was granted the Design from Finland mark as a sign of Finnish design
Orienteering
Competitive edge from history in orienteering
Orienteering is a competitive sport that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse, rough and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed.
Orienteering
The most demanding sport for a shoe
Orienteering is a sport where you race against the clock which means speed is of the essence. We use the lightest, the most advanced materials to make individuals not only reach but exceed their limits and it is no wonder most of the shoes seen on the starting lines of orienteering competitions feature the VJ logo.
Orienteering
What's required from an orienteering shoe?
An orienteering shoe must withstand harsh, slippery and rough conditions. It must be reliable and grip on any terrain − whether it be dry or wet, hard or soft. The shoe must be protective and durable − branches, rocks and alternating terrain all cause massive strain on a shoe.
An orienteering shoe needs to grip on any terrain. We have combatted this with our one-of-a-kind 100% butyl rubber outsole which creates traction like no other material and maintains its grip, even when completely drenched.
Due to the terrain, it’s not uncommon for orienteers to compete with wet shoes throughout the entirety of a competition, which is why our shoes are crafted with non-absorbent materials. Repeatedly getting soaked and then dried causes strain on the shoe. We design and build our shoes to last and protect without compromising performance. Our shoes are truly capable of withstanding the challenges of rough conditions − some of our models even feature uppers with aramid fibers that are five times stronger than steel.