Italian manufacturing tradition
AKU is an Italian company founded in Montebelluna, in the heart of the Italian sports footwear district, specializing in the production of high-quality OUTDOOR, PROFESSIONAL, and HUNTING footwear. It has two wholly-owned production facilities in Italy and Romania. Its global distribution network spans Europe, North America, and Asia, serving over 50 markets.
A business project that has always focused on developing production solutions that combine legendary Italian manufacturing and design tradition with the most advanced, innovative solutions for product reliability and comfort.
And with special attention to the issue of environmental impact.
AKU is in fact the first company in the outdoor footwear sector, at a global level, to have certified the impact in 2017 environmental of its own model, through the protocol EPD Environmental Product Declaration.
An initiative that subsequently allowed her to calculate the level of CO2 emissions on a scientific basis first for each individual model in the collection and finally for the its entire production organization, also obtaining in this case the primacy in the outdoor footwear sector.
Our story
Slope GTX is born, the first hiking model under the AKU brand and the first outdoor shoe with a Gore-Tex membrane. Lightweight, waterproof, breathable, colorful, and extremely comfortable, Slope GTX quickly becomes an icon in the world of traditional hiking and very popular among the free flight community.
Dinsport becomes AKU
The Conero GTX, a premium backpacking model, is born. Sturdy yet lightweight and with an eye-catching design, the Conero GTX is paired with the new Vibram Fourà sole, designed exclusively for AKU. This technical element, more than 30 years later, still represents, along with the Conero GTX, an iconic combination in the world of authentic mountain footwear.
AKU launches the SPIDER KEVLAR GTX, an innovative high-performance mountaineering model that combines the traditional hand-lasted manufacturing technique with a direct injection system for the upper. This highly innovative solution creates a stable climbing boot that's comfortable on long treks approaching ice or rock routes.
AKU is the first company in the footwear sector worldwide to obtain environmental impact certification for the BELLAMONT PLUS model through the EPD - environmental product declaration protocol.
Technical and financial support begins for the international scientific research project Ice Memory, led by the Institute of Polar Sciences at the Italian National Research Council. It is currently one of the leading scientific programs studying climate evolution on planet Earth.
The MINIMA model receives the ISPO Award Gold, as the best proposal for the winter season in the urban outdoor category.
Carbon Footprint Systematic Approach certification for the science-based calculation of CO2 emissions for each collection model.
Constant research into technical innovation led to the creation of the AURAI DFS GTX, a high-performance shoe designed for expert mountain guides and climbers. That same year, IMPACTO was launched, a guidebook for estimating CO2 emissions from various outdoor footwear categories.
AKU presents its first footwear collection dedicated to the professional market, inaugurating a new phase in the company's commercial and production development.
To mark the launch of the new models for the 2026 summer collection, the new AKU logo is presented, signaling the evolutionary path of a constantly evolving brand.
