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Camper launches outdoor brand in partnership with trail running legend Kilian Jornet
Kilian Jornet continues his foray into the sportswear market. Despite hanging up his Salomon trail running shoes at the end of 2021 after 15 years of collaborating with the French sporting goods manufacturer, the Spanish three-time champion of the Ultratrail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) race embarks on a new journey together with the Camper group.
The athlete and the Spanish footwear company led by Miquel Fluxa announced their latest venture dubbed NNormal, a new outdoor sportswear brand that aims to offer technical products with a limited environmental footprint. A short film shot in Norway (where the athlete calls home) serves as a teaser anticipating the brand’s launch in the fall. Jornet lended his voice for the video, where he exclaimed in his Spanish accent: "This is not a revolution. This is Nnormal. Your Path. No trace.
“Sharing the same values was a strong motivation to start this project. We agreed from the start that we need a new way of thinking and acting in relation to our environment and outdoor activities,” explained Jornet in a statement. “This requires full transparency and to avoid over-consumption by building products that are durable. 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,” he stressed.
The assortment, which will be available online and in select retailers with a positioning in “relation to market prices”, will be quite limited for its first season. However, the Nnormal team which tests the products manufactured in Spain on the athlete’s Norwegian playing field, intend to soon offer clothing and accessories as well as shoes. Camper’s expertise in footwear design and production will undoubtedly prove to be the future brand’s strongest asset within the sporting goods market that has seen a number of brands emerge in recent seasons.
“Building a new brand is always an exciting adventure, although we are aware of the challenges involved,” said Fluxa, CEO of Camper and member of the founding family’s fourth generation. “Having the opportunity to conceive it with someone like Kilian is truly unique. We complement each other perfectly: He brings his expertise in product development and unique vision of what we can do for the environment, while we bring innovation, expertise in shoemaking and design know-how.”
Nnormal's publicly addressed objective is to build a community of followers even prior to marketing the brand. In order to accomplish this, Jornet will be clad in the brand’s products at trail races in the months to come, including at the UTMB race in August. His activity on social media, boasting 1.3 million followers on Instagram, should certainly contribute in increasing Nnormal’s brand awareness.
Camper saw its sales increase by 22% in 2021 to €146 million.
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