Norrona - or correctly: Norrøna, pronounced Norröna - is not yet as well known as the major suppliers of outdoor clothing - especially in Germany. In addition to expedition and ski equipment, the Norwegian company from Oslo has also been offering MTB clothing for some time now, of which we have already tested some products. But Norrona is not less well known because it has only been on the market for a few years. In fact, founder Jørgen Jørgensen opened the sporting goods and leather factory J.J Norrøna back in 1929 to manufacture outdoor products of the highest quality. He gave Norrona its first direction with canvas rucksacks and cotton clothing for mountain tours.
1971 Ole Jørgen Jørgensen, the third generation of the Jørgensen family, takes over the management of the company. Tomas Carlstrøm, a climber, engineer and visionary, becomes a product developer for Norrøna. The focus is on the development of backpacks and mountain tents as well as clothing for mountaineers. In addition to user-orientated product development, the functionality of the products now becomes a second cornerstone of the company. As a result, Norrona developed the prototype of the first Gore-Tex jacket in Europe in 1977.
In 2000, the outdoor specialist introduces its third cornerstone: Design - more on this in the following interview.
1929 to today: Norrona goes from backpack manufacturer to outdoor specialist
In 2005, Jørgen Jørgensen, the fourth generation of Jørgensens, took over as CEO of Norrona - still a family-run business. Under the motto "Welcome to Nature", the company endeavours to open up further outdoor areas. 2008 saw the launch of the Fjørå collection for "single trail mountain biking", as the company calls it, which includes, for example, the Extremely robust rain suit with Gore Tex Pro, which we have already tested.
In 2015, Norrona presents its roadmap for corporate social responsibility. The company donates one per cent of its turnover to causes and organisations that are committed to sustainability and environmentally friendly initiatives. Sustainability is the fourth cornerstone of the Norwegian company. At the same time, the headquarters - the new company headquarters - opens in a suburb of Oslo with a comprehensive range of services. You can see impressions of this in the picture gallery above - Jørgen Jørgensen explains the idea a little later in an interview with us.
A little later - in 2017 - the second MTB collection is in the shop window: the skibotn Enduro clothing. For example, we tested the short and long skibotn MTB trousers here.
Four years ago, Norrona entered the adventure travel and expedition sector as a tour operator. With the merger of Norrona and Hvitserk of Norway to form Norrona Hvitserk Adventures, a new provider of outdoor adventures in Norway was created in 2020. The Canvas Camp we visited in Norway is one of them. CEO Jørgensen now reveals more about the plans in an interview.
Interview: Jørgen Jørgensen, CEO of Norrona
In 1929, the great-grandfather of the current CEO, both named Jørgen Jørgensen, set out as an outdoor enthusiast to produce hard-wearing outdoor equipment that could withstand Norway's rough and rugged nature. 95 years later, Norrona's portfolio includes outdoor clothing for all kinds of uses, from trail running and mountain biking to skiing, hunting and expedition equipment.
At the company headquarters in Lysaker near Oslo, you can view and try on the entire current collection. You can also have defective clothing repaired, have a coffee or go climbing, and in the evening there is a weekly lecture, film or similar by Norrona athletes or outdoor experts.
But work also goes on there, in the historic brick building that used to be a mill: Customer service, administration, design - everyone is based in this truly remarkable building on the Lysakerelven river, perhaps a kilometre from the Oslo Fjord as the crow flies. At Norrona House, I meet company boss Jørgensen for an interview.
BIKE: Is Norrona House the world of Norrona squeezed into one house?
Jørgen Jørgensen: When we moved into the office space in 2015, we were able to create a workplace that encourages creativity and innovation, which is important in all areas of Norrona. The landlord approached us and had big plans for the whole area. They want to build a new neighbourhood here and asked if we would like to do some cool things. And, this is not a busy area. (Editor's note: outskirts of Oslo)
It gave us the opportunity to create something completely different in a larger space that you couldn't do in the centre of Oslo, the centre of Munich or anywhere else. It gave us the opportunity to do storytelling, to show all the products, the second-hand shop, the restaurant, the event area and the whole history of the company.
So we decided to create a destination where Norrona customers can smell, feel, taste, see and touch the products. You know, the full brand experience. It was of course a big and exhausting project, but also a very cool one.
What does all this mean in concrete terms? I've already seen the climbing hall at the entrance.
We want to create a destination for our community to find inspiration, education, gear, travel, food and encounters. Every week we bring interesting people here (Editor's note: for lectures, films, etc.)that inspire our community to get out and enjoy the outdoors. It's the ultimate brand experience to discover the Norrona brand and connect with our fans.
We have an area where people can hire our products. We also have the storm room where you can test the waterproofness of the clothing. We have the repair centre where you can have your products repaired. A lot of people come here, have a coffee and have their products repaired. It's a mixture of testing and discovering, all of that.
Norrona produces the first Gore-Tex jacket outside the USA in 1977
This is now the brand experience. What does Norrona basically stand for?
Norrona has four main pillars: quality, function, design and sustainability. And all of this is based on the company's history. Norrona was founded in 1929 by my great-grandfather. He was a craftsman. And he attached great importance to quality. He founded Norrona with the aim of producing the highest quality outdoor products.
So that's the first building block. And then, in the early 1970s, when my father took over the company, he and our product developer at the time, Tomas Carlstrøm, began with extremely user-orientated product development. This meant that we tested the product with the most demanding users and only launched it on the market when they were satisfied. This was due to the expedition trend at the time, which started in the 1970s when people went to the Himalayas or other unexplored places and made many first ascents.
And we were part of this community, and they came to us and said, "We're going on this expedition, but we still need this product. Can you make it?" And we made it. They trialled it and finally, when we were happy, we brought it to market.
This is how we produced the first Gore-Tex jacket outside the USA. In 1977, our product developer Tomas met Henry Barber, a famous climber and Gore-Tex ambassador. He saw the jacket, tested it and realised that it was sweaty under the rucksack but stayed dry everywhere else. He realised that this was a turning point for outdoor clothing. We got the first 20 metres of Gore-Tex material and made the first prototype. Eventually we designed the Trollveggen climbing jacket and dungarees.
At Norrona, design also means thinking about sustainability. - Jørgen Jørgensen, CEO Norrona
Then your third pillar - design - follows on logically, doesn't it?
And the third pillar, design, was added in 2000 when I started working here. I wanted to create a clear design profile for Norrona and I believe that by focussing more on design, you strengthen the functional quality at the same time. Design is not only about colours and product design, but also about process design. We developed our "Loaded Minimalism" design philosophy when we started developing the Lofoten collection. This design philosophy permeates our products, our communication, the structure of our organisation and our IT systems; it is integrated into everything we do.
And then the fourth pillar is sustainability. I think the most sustainable thing we do is to make and repair long-lasting products. Two years ago we had a competition and the oldest Norrona product in use was from the 1930s. We get products in that are 30 or 40 years old. But in the early 2000s we also realised that you have to do more than just have durable products.
Our materials and the way we operate undoubtedly have an impact on the planet. Looking for ways to improve our sustainability, we set the first quantitative target within our sustainability strategy in 2006: we only add organic cotton as a cotton material when we use it. It took ten years to get from zero to 100%.
We also started using more recycled materials and requesting more recycled materials. And we looked at other aspects, such as removing fluorocarbon and other materials. (Editor's note: the so-called PFAS from waterproof coatings, for example)
What we realised was that it was really difficult to drive the changeover fast enough. So in 2013 we started talking about taking a different approach and creating a roadmap. So for all the things that we could quantify and that had a sustainability impact, we created a roadmap and launched it in December 2014.
With ambitious goals, it is not so important to us that we achieve the goal at all costs. It is important that we get as far as possible. We have achieved some of the targets, and some we have not yet achieved. For example, we have not yet reached 100% recycled polyester. We are at 82%. But we've still come a long way. And now we have created a second version of the roadmap, which will end in 2029, when we turn 100 years old.
What are your general plans for the next decade or so?
We are also planning some cool things in the travel sector because we are adding the adventure part to our product range, so to speak. In 2016, we had a strategy meeting. And one of the outcomes was that it's not enough to just offer great products. We think that we also need to offer people experiences. And our vision is "Welcome to Nature", so the products fit in there, but the adventure fits in there too. So we started looking into it and eventually we bought Hvitserk, an adventure travel company with 55 years of history.
And then last year we bought the Canvas Camp. The next step for us is actually to build some lodges in the north of the Lofoten region. We have five properties up there that we are working on. And we want to integrate our customers into a network where we pick them up at the airport, take them by boat to the first lodge and they do different activities there for three days before moving on to the next lodge. In summer we offer hiking and mountain biking, in winter northern lights and whale safaris, and in spring and late winter ski tours. We offer great food, great local food. Unique small lodges that can accommodate a total of 30 to 50 people.
We then offer the whole experience with Norrona equipment, Norrona transport, Norrona lodges and the food, all in one nice package.
As CEO of Norrona, do you still have enough time to do sport yourself?
Yes, I test all the products myself. This winter I spent more than 50 days downhill and ski touring and more than 25 days cross-country skiing. Last winter I spent more than 35 days hunting. As well as cycling, trail running and windsurfing. I'm probably outside more than 150 days a year.
I do this either after work or as part of my job. Testing products, photo shoots, testing adventure pieces. It's simply a lifestyle. Work, nature and family are all part of it. It's hard to separate one from the other.
What are your personal favourite Norrona products?
That's a difficult question. First of all, since I test all products, I always have to work on the latest products. However, for every activity I have a few products that I often reach for when I don't need to test anything. One of the most frequently used products this winter is the Lyngen Alpha 100 Zipp Hoodie. It's a breathable insulation piece that I always use when I'm active and in the cold.
Of course, I have my favourite Gore-Tex pieces when the weather is bad. For hunting as well as skiing and mountain biking. I think the Fjøra mountain bike shorts is one of my favourite products that I often reach for.
Marc Strucken
Editor
