In 1977, after cutting their teeth at Koho and Snisao, Juha Tirinen and Kaija Gustafsson decided to launch their own sportswear brand: Joko. Based in Forssa, Finland, they started to make pesäpallo gloves, the Finnish baseball counterpart. Juha being a former world-class motocross rider, the brand soon entered this industry with a collaboration with the Moto-X Fox brand. Incidentally, it’s Geoff Fox, the founder of Fox, who suggested Joko to jump ship for Yoko! In 1983, the brand started making cross-country ski gloves for Asko Autio. Clothes and ski poles followed a few years later.
In 1987, Yoko launched the very-first Gore-Tex bike suit. The company then added a third string to its bow with cycling products. In 2002, during the Salt Lake City Olympics, nine gold medallists were equipped with Yoko gloves, even better, it was with a model that was accessible to the common folk! Since 2013, Yoko completed its collection with cross-country ski boots. They are made in the Kitee factory, run by the cross-country champion Harri Kirvesniemi.
