Hoka’s parent company, Deckers Brands, has laid out a clear picture of where its footwear business is headed, positioning road, trail and lifestyle as three separate but increasingly interconnected pillars of future growth.
Speaking during Deckers Brands’ recent quarterly earnings call, the company said HOKA has “many exciting product updates yet to come” across the most important priorities of “winning on the road, dominating the trail, and a fiery lifestyle,” providing rare insight into how the brand thinks beyond the launch of each shoe.
The comments come as the HOKA running shoe series enters a busy season, with the arrival of the Cielo X1 3.0 as the latest high-end racing shoe.
Deckers described it as “the fastest and lightest racing shoe HOKA has ever created,” underscoring how seriously it takes the performance end of the market.
Behind the scenes, the numbers suggest the leveraged approach is paying off, with HOKA’s revenue growing 18% year over year in the most recent quarter.
Road racing boosts the market
One of the revealing data points shared on the call is HOKA’s performance in the US off-road market.
According to Deckers, the brand has gained significant market share in the $140+ segment, placing it firmly in the premium bracket alongside established competitors.
Rather than chasing volume at the bottom end of the market, HOKA seems focused on convincing racers to spend more by doubling down on performance innovation and race day reliability.
The Trail remains a core strength
While road shoes often grab the headlines, Deckers was clear that trail running shoes remain the focus.
Future updates, including the next iteration of the Speedgoat, are designed as part of an effort to strengthen HOKA’s off-road dominance rather than a simple refresh of existing models.
Hoka Speedgoat 6: a workhorse
(Photo credit: Future/Leon Poultney)
The company said it now operates in a “cleaner” global marketplace than a year ago, with tighter controls on innovation and product change.
That, combined with strong retail sales, gave the confidence to go ahead with a strong lead launch without overloading the market.
Lifestyle is no longer an afterthought
Perhaps the most important change is that Deckers is now more open about the lifestyle.
Instead of treating it as a side project, the company described it as which is important opportunity, driven in part by consumers already wearing work shoes in everyday settings.
Deckers noted that performance remains at the core of HOKA’s brand, but admitted that many of its silhouettes seem to have crossed over into casual wear.
(Photo credit: HOKA)
New lifestyle-focused products and marketing campaigns are designed to build on that behavior without undermining HOKA’s technical credibility.
The company’s latest earnings report provides a useful snapshot of where HOKA is headed in 2026 and beyond.
Road running is pushed to the forefront, trail running remains a staple, and lifestyle is increasingly viewed as a legitimate growth phase rather than a bolt-on.
One thing is for sure: exciting times are ahead for HOKA fans.
[via Deckers Brands]
