The boots, which arrived in a cardboard box, cost less than a night out. An equipment operator working in the mountains had bought them on a whim, fully expecting to send them back.
Then he wore them through two storms. His feet remained dry, the boots offered excellent traction, and the ankle support was quite good. So he kept the boots.
Multiply that small, private experience by millions of US shoppers, and you begin to understand how a Chinese footwear label that most people in the United States had never heard of became one of the fastest-moving shoe brands on TikTok Shop in the US.
NORTIV 8, owned by Miracle Miles, which is based in Changsha, Hunan province, ranked ninth among footwear sellers on TikTok Shop in the US in the 12 months through March this year, according to Charm.io, an e-commerce analytics platform.
Soon after, NORTIV 8 was named the fastest-growing shoe brand, with $9.5 million in sales between July 2025 and June 2026, compared with $697,361 in sales between July 2024 and June 2025, an increase of more than 1,200 percent, Charm.io said.
NORTIV 8's sister label, Dream Pairs, ranked fourth in the earlier period with $14 million in sales.
A pair of core NORTIV 8 hiking boots sells for $68.99, a price well below the $150-and-up cost of many premium outdoor brands. The product emphasizes exactly what a short video can show in seconds: water beading on a sealed upper, a sole delivering a secure grip on wet rock, a boot flexing without folding. Another buyer, who took his pair through small streams and puddles, said his feet stayed dry, although he suggested upgrading the insoles.
Miracle Miles, founded in 2009 by two entrepreneurs who studied computer science in the US, began with brick-and-mortar shoe stores before moving to e-commerce. Its portfolio now spans Dream Pairs, Bruno Marc, NORTIV 8 and Allswift, covering women's, men's, outdoor and athletic footwear. The company's headquarters for research and general operations are in Changsha, while its supply-chain operations are based in Fuzhou, Fujian province.
Premium push
But price is only one door into the international market. In Chamonix, France, a global capital for mountaineers and trail runners, Kailas is knocking on a different door.
Kailas opened its first directly operated store outside China in late August. The company, based in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, has built its reputation in mountaineering and trail running. The Chamonix store carries the Kailas Fuga trail-running line and operates as a Fuga "base camp" — a community hub for local runners rather than a conventional retail outlet.
"Product exporting and brand exporting are two different stages of development," said Kong Fanyong, vice-president of Kailas Group. "Product exporting relies more on gaining consumer recognition through functional value and performance. Brand exporting, on the other hand, requires not only the functional value of the product itself, but also consumer alignment with the philosophies, spirit and culture that the brand represents."
Kailas plans to accelerate overseas expansion, aiming for a top-three global market share position in trail running within three years. It also intends to open a global flagship store in Milan, Italy, in 2027, followed by Paris, Barcelona and Munich, while supporting or sponsoring more than 100 overseas sporting events. Unlike brands competing primarily on affordability, Kailas intends to keep overseas prices broadly in line with or slightly above those in China, adjusted for local conditions.
The contrast between NORTIV 8 and Kailas represents a spectrum. At one end, a $69 boot proves itself in a rainstorm and earns a repeat purchase. At the other end, a trail shoe is tested by athletes in the Alps and carries a price closer to the established names it intends to challenge.
"They want to build their own brand identity and their own business," said Peng Yanyan, head of Greater China consumer research at Swiss investment bank UBS, "because a brand represents pricing power and an affirmation of one's own culture."
