Norway’s Beloved Outdoor Brand Norrøna Expands Stateside
The team at the 90-year-old company discusses sustainability, functionality and pragmatism
Founded by outdoor enthusiast Jørgen Jørgensen, Norrøna has been making snow gear for 90 years in Oslo. While the brand dominates in Scandinavian markets, it is only now opening brick and mortar stores stateside—starting with a Boulder, Colorado shop this past summer, and now a storefront in NYC’s SoHo, which opens tomorrow, 6 December.
Norrøna isn’t just testing the bigger names in the business, but also the philosophy behind it all. For instance, each store isn’t only a retail space; it’s a repair shop as well. Further, Norrøna offers a 100% guarantee on every item sold, and they continue to repair products that are 20 years old or older. This sustainability mission is focused on using recycled materials logically, not greenwashing. Whenever you search a Norrøna product, the brand very openly lists materials and hardware (and why they were selected) as well as the factories where their products are manufactured.
Isn’t another example the Rødal Warmwool Jacket?
FL: This is less of a stretch. Bomber jackets were invented for bomber pilots—it was cold in those planes. Today we think of a bomber jacket for lifestyle, but we’re still kind of stealth about incorporating performance. The front uses recycled material that’s wind-resistant, and we’re using a light, durable poly that’s quick-drying, and there’s wool insulation again for warmth and to fight odor. And that zipper too, that’s not metal because it would be cold against your skin, but it looks like it. That’s purely about aesthetics, but that’s a really good example of us not wanting to sacrifice function.
But then of course you still have some very serious, expedition-level pieces.
FL: Yes, if you look at the Tamok Recon Co-Lab Gore-Tex Pro it’s a good example. It has a lot of pockets, but even those are added strategically, in the right places. It’s a military jacket that’s been adapted for the backcountry skier or alpinist, and functionally they overlap a lot. Our design philosophy is if it’s not giving some extra benefits for the product, we just don’t do it.
BB: This is really cultural. I’m an American. I was the first non-Swede, non-Norwegian to work here when I came 21 years ago, and now we have people from all over the world. But the company DNA is to not complicate it. For instance, we have a non-email policy within the same building. You have a conversation instead. Why spend a week bouncing emails around the same office? That’s like adding extra pockets. It’s the same idea. Have one conversation with everyone. It’s the way of this company going back a century.
Norrøna NYC opens 6 December at 67 Greene St
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