AKU is the brand of an Italian shoe factory that produces shoes for mountain, hunting and leisure in contact with nature. The technical quality, function and reliability of each individual model are guaranteed by over 40 years of specific experience in the footwear sector, in full respect of the ancient and unparalleled Italian manufacturing tradition. Every single model represents a product of absolute excellence, destined to become the irreplaceable companion of your adventures. Raw materials selected on the basis of the highest quality standards and special attention to the issue of environmental impact are the basis of AKU’s design and production approach. In this way, every single model represents a product of absolute excellence, ethically correct, destined to become the irreplaceable companion of your adventures in nature for a long time. The history of AKU begins in a shoemaker’s workshop in a district of Montebelluna, the small Venetian town that in over a century has built and spread the myth of Italian sports footwear all over the world. Galliano Bordin, founder of the company, is the son of shoemakers and since he was a child he acquired experience first in the repair and then in the construction of footwear. Almost in every family of the small Venetian town, hides are cut, uppers are sewn, soles are attached. Almost everyone, in one way or another, is part of this production specialization that generates artisan workshops and small businesses destined over time to become the most prestigious brands at an international level in various sports fields, but in particular for mountaineering, the trekking, alpine skiing and cross-country skiing. The name AKU From Scandinavia to the Pacific Ocean to the Alps: a legendary adventure We are often asked about the origin and meaning of the name AKU. AKU AKU is the name of a benevolent spirit told in one of the many legends that populate the imagination of the natives of Easter Island. A benevolent and wise spirit that protects the earth and its inhabitants, mentioned in the book The Secrets of Easter Island by the great Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl. The idea of using this name as a brand dates back to the early 90s when Galliano Bordin, founder of the company, at the beginning of the export to Europe of the first trekking shoes, had to decide to abandon the first DINSPORT company name and logo, in contrast to the registered DIN trademark of the Deutsch Institut fur Normung.