Hoka was the first shoe brand that launched "oversized" midsoles. Hoka was founded in France in 2009 but is now a U.S. owned.
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Hoka One One was founded in France in 2009 but is now a U.S. owned. The concept was born during an ultramarathon on Etna in Sicily, when Frenchman Jean-Luc Diard discovered that he could run faster downwards thanks to the extra cushion the soft volcanic sand gave. He decided to design a shoe that had this experience built-in.