There are not many running shoe companies in the world that use their brand as a direct action to advocate for the environment. Leaving He’s one of them – and he happens to be Australian.
Founded in South Fremantle, Western Australia, Tarkine has built something truly rare in the global running industry: a performance-first footwear brand with its own green mission, and a roster of athletes that prove that shoes work at the sharp end of the sport. From world record holders to over 50 of Australia’s best runners wearing Tarkine shoes, this is no longer a boutique experience. It is a brand that is finding its footing on the global stage.
It is named after the wilderness
The brand takes its name from the Takaina/Tarkin – a vast, ancient rainforest in northwest Tasmania, one of the largest temperate rainforests in the Southern Hemisphere. The name is not accidental. That’s the whole point.
“Work as activism” is how Tarkin describes her philosophy. 2% of each sale goes towards protecting wild places, and 1% goes directly to… Bob Brown Foundation — one of Australia’s most respected environmental organizations — to help protect the Takaina/Tarkin Rainforest. The organization operates with full, transparent annual reporting, and Tarkine reports revenues monthly. This is not greenwashing. It is a binding and ongoing financial obligation associated with each pair sold.
The brand slogan clearly says: Born from the wild. Proven in the wild.
Performance that supports the story
The story of environmental conservation only goes so far if the shoes don’t work. Tarkin’s band performs. The brand has attracted world record holders to its athletic program, which is remarkable for a young Australian company competing against established giants in the global running shoe industry.
On the trails, the numbers are staggering. More than 50 of Australia’s best runners now race in Tarkine shoes. This type of competitive adoption doesn’t happen through marketing alone. This happens because coaches, athletes, and podiatrists recommend well-fitting shoes.
Tarkine’s list of world-class athletes extends far beyond Australian borders. Runners from Portugal, New Zealand and across Europe are part of the program – including athletes such as Sergio Catarinoa Portuguese emergency nurse and ultra runner who won the Lisboa Backyard Ultra, and James Blanda New Zealand-born Australian trail runner targeting a UTMB qualification with the You Yangs 100km and Surf Coast Century in his sights for 2026. Bianca Harding I recently completed the grueling Delirious WEST 100 Miler in Western Australia in Tarkine boots.
These are not the faces of marketing. They are working athletes, race hard in tough conditions, and choose Tarkine on performance rather than salary.
Shoe range: road, track, casual
The Tarkine collection covers three distinct categories – road, trail and casual – giving runners a single brand relationship across the full spectrum of their running lives.
Running on the road
The main road coach is Tarkin Goshock V2 – A high-mileage trainer designed around the Tarkine estate Future Foam V2 technology. Named after the powerful goshawk bird of prey, it’s designed for runners who want a shoe that can handle high weekly volume without sacrificing the responsiveness that makes a training shoe fun to run. The women’s Goshawk V2 retails for AU$180. The V1 is still available for AU$150 for those who want a more stripped-down option.
Trail running
For off-road trail running, Tarkine has developed a range of trail shoes designed for Australian terrain – the rugged, unpredictable, and often unforgiving kind. With more than 50 of the country’s best road runners relying on Tarkine shoes across Ultras, 100-milers and multi-day events, the track range has been tested where it matters most: at race pace, in the back half of the 100km, when every gram and every millimeter of grip matters.
Casual and replay
In addition to performance, Tarkine has a unique, casual line of footwear Restart the program – A circular economy initiative that extends the life of used shoes instead of sending them to a landfill. For a brand built on environmental responsibility, this is a logical and important extension of the mission. Shoes go further. The effect decreases.
The complete set
Shoes are key, but Tarkine’s line of apparel and accessories gives runners a complete ecosystem. Highlights include:
- Ultra-Eco Run T-Shirts — Performance t-shirts made from eco-friendly materials, available in men’s and women’s collections starting at AU$60
- Luxury merino socks – No-show, ankle and mid-crew styles in merino wool from AU$20
- TechGlide Runner Hat – Lightweight running hat designed for modern runners, AU$60
- Moderate sunglasses – Made of recycled plastic with polarized lenses, priced at AU$40
- Premium Merino toe running socks — For toe sock lovers, in a mid-length cut
Clothes carry the same environmentally conscious spirit as shoes. These are not afterthoughts added to complete the catalogue. They are made with the same intent.
Growth 5 times and going global
Tarkine has been growing at nearly five times year over year – exceptional for any consumer brand, especially in the highly competitive global running shoe market. The brand now ships internationally, with over 100,000 feet of Tarkine shoes sold worldwide, as noted on their own product pages.
Growth is not accidental. Tarkine has built brand trust through a combination of real performance credentials, a credible green mission, competitive pricing compared to major global brands, and a grassroots athletic program that prioritizes real runners over influencers.
In a market dominated by Nike, Adidas, ASICS and Brooks, gaining a growing global audience is a real achievement. The fact that Tarkin did it from South Fremantle, Western Australia — not Portland, not Munich, not Tokyo — makes it even more significant.
Podiatry backed and retail ready
Tarkine developed a network of Podiatry Partners Across Australia – clinics stock and recommend Tarkine shoes as part of rehabilitation and injury prevention programmes. This is not a common distribution strategy for an emerging running brand, and is more reflective of the clinical confidence in shoe design and the brand’s commitment to runner health than in shoe sales volume.
The brand is also available through retail partners and ships directly via tarkin.comwith a rewards program (Tarkine Basecamp), Wild Pack Affiliates program, and a return and exchange policy that supports buyer confidence.
Why is this important?
The running shoe industry has a large environmental footprint. The average running shoe generates approximately 13.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent over its lifetime, according to a widely cited 2013 MIT life cycle analysis published in the journal Cleaner Production Journal. With hundreds of millions of pairs produced annually worldwide, the cumulative effect is enormous.
Tarkine does not claim to have solved this problem. But they do something most brands don’t: channel real money into real conservation efforts, build a circular reboot program to extend the life of shoes, use eco-friendly materials in apparel, and name their entire identity after threatened wilderness — creating accountability to live up to the name.
The Takaina/Tarkin Rainforest itself has faced constant threats from mining and logging. The Bob Brown Foundation, which Tarquin financially supports, has been at the forefront of the campaign to protect her. When you buy a pair of Tarkine shoes, you contribute to that campaign. This is a meaningful suggestion, and one that resonates – especially with the running community, which has a deep and real connection to wild places.
Bottom line
Australia has produced world-class runners for generations. It has never, until now, had its own running shoe company operating at the level of performance required to attract world record holders and top-tier athletes. Leaving That has changed.
The brand is young, growing quickly, and struggling for space in one of the most competitive retail categories on the planet. But the fundamentals are strong: real performance, a compelling conservation story, real athletes winning real races, and a pricing model that makes the shoes accessible to everyday runners without diminishing the mission.
If you haven’t looked at Tarkine yet, now is a good time. The shoes work. The reason is real. Supporting Australia’s only running shoe company has never been more important.
Explore the full Tarkine collection – road, trail and casual – at tarkin.com.
References:
- Official Tarkin Athletics website: tarkin.com
- Bob Brown Foundation: bobbrown.org.au
- Olivetti, R. et al. (2013). “Environmental impacts of running shoe design.” Cleaner Production Journal. The MIT Life Cycle Analysis has been widely cited in media playback.
- Tarkin Sports Blogs: Sergio Catarino Q&A, James Bland 2026 Vision Q&A, Bianca Harding Delicious West Q&A — tarkine.com/blogs/tarkine-news
