Trail-tested gear from Kilian Jornet, with a sustainability bent? You’ve got our attention.
With help from family-owned footwear company Camper, the famed mountain runner announced a new sportswear brand today. NNormal will focus on footwear, apparel, and accessories for trail running and hiking. Its first collection is due this fall.
The brand says its products reflect its founding partnership’s shared philosophy: authenticity and utility that inspire people to enjoy and respect nature.
Further details on NNormal products — what they’ll look like, what materials they’ll use, and more — are not yet available. You can be sure that we’ll bring you the details as soon as they are.
This news follows Jornet announcing last November that he was parting ways with his longtime sponsor Salomon to start a new project.
NNormal seeks to inspire athletes to “enjoy and respect” our planet. Photo: NNormal/Lymbus/Jaime de Diego
Camper and NNormal’s Sustainability Outlook
Camper CEO Miguel Fluxa spoke to his company’s role in the project.
“Having the opportunity to conceive [NNormal] with someone like Kilian is really unique: to combine performance with personal responsibility strongly resonates with our DNA,” Fluxa said. “He brings his strong product development expertise and unique vision of the outdoor world, while Camper brings innovation, shoemaking, and design know-how.”
“Building a new brand is always a very exciting adventure, although we are aware of the challenges involved,” Fluxa added.
If any of those challenges take the shape of design sustainability, Camper should be prepared to meet them. For its shoe line, the brand employs circularity measures like collecting worn-out shoes from customers to source material for new ones.
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Camper is big on reuse — sometimes, though, nothing can be done. In those cases, it says, it processes and converts the shoes into “green energy or raw materials used for the creation of new products like outdoor flooring.”
In-House Testing: Jornet to Race in NNormal Gear
Camper calls Mallorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea, home. The NNormal team designs and tests its gear on picturesque proving grounds: the Mallorcan coasts and the fjords of Norway, the latter where Jornet lives and trains. The accomplished ultrarunner announced the new brand with promises of transparency.
“[Camper and I] agreed that we need a new way of thinking and acting in relation to our environment and outdoor activities,” he said. “We want to be very honest on how we produce the equipment and on the role the company wants to play for society and the environment. This means transparency and working to avoid overconsumption by building products that are durable.”
Kilian Jornet. Photo: NNormal/Lymbus/Jaime de Diego
He also suggested that a creative approach to design choices will be pivotal to the success of the vision.
“To have a minor impact on the environment, we need to work with various materials and explore different designs. It’s a long and difficult path but that’s what motivates me and the team to start this project.”
NNormal’s first collection launches in fall 2022. Photo: NNormal/Lymbus/Jaime de Diego
The first NNormal line will launch in fall 2022 in Europe and North America. You can find it on the brand’s website or at various specialty outdoor and running storefronts.
The first drop will be limited, featuring footwear, apparel, and some accessories. Jornet himself will give the brand the litmus test — as the first NNormal ambassador, he’ll wear its gear during this year’s race season.
Kilian Jornet and Camper partner to launch the brand NNormal. Photo: NNormal/Lymbus/Jaime de Diego
