Norrøna – Deep Knowledge

The search for the perfect skiwear sometimes proves to be a bit more difficult than expected. Norrøna uncovers some behind-the-scenes questions in their new magazine “The Deep Issue”, exclusively we have been able to win the story “Deep Knowledge” for us.

 

Text: Alexander Urrang Hauge / Photo: Chris Holter

 

When you buy Norrøna gear, you get a small piece of Norwegian design that works in all kinds of weather. Norrøna’s Head of RD&D Fredrik Lundberg explains how it works.

 

IMAGINE WEARING your ski jacket on the first day of the season. It’s freezing cold, but not so cold that the snow isn’t wet. You pull up the zipper and start skiing. You start heating up and sweat a little. You take off a layer and press on. The terrain is steep, the snow is deep, you cross the tree line and it starts to blow. The temperature sinks, the snow gets drier and the wind stronger.

 

NORRØNA´S CLOTHES reflect nature and passion,” says Fredrik Lundberg, Head of research, design and development (RD&D) for Norrøna. “In many ways, our clothes are similar to Nordic nature; they can’t be too mechanical and clinical. We don’t make clothes for robots, but for real people looking for real experiences.”

 

One day you stand on a mountain and enjoy the warm feeling inside a good hood, as the snow drifts and clouds float by. Another time you lie on your back in the heather and watch winter turn into spring. The third time, you hustle through the streets in rain and wind, with your ski jacket on. Your favorite jacket.
Whether you swear by the Norrøna lofoten, tamok or lyngen collection, all have a common denominator: well-thought-out, tried and tested. “Our customers come from all over the world, but if there is one thing that characterizes them it’s that they expect the Norrøna garment they bought to work really well,” says Fredrik.

 

FREDRIK IS SWEDISH, has a beard almost as long as Gandalf’s, and climbed 100,000 vertical meters while ski touring last year. He also has a finger in the entire value chain; from someone whispering the words “new ski jacket” to it hanging in your local – or online –clothing store.

 

“For us who develop ski clothing for Norrøna, it is always about making everything a little better for the next collection. Sometimes the adjustments are small, other times they are large. The ski jackets we make today are better than the ones we made ten years ago. It is in the nature of evolution. We seek progress,” he says.

 

 

NORRØNA WORKS continuously on its ski wear. No matter how good a ski jacket is, there’s always something to work on. Norrøna ambassadors also play an important role in this.
“We use the ambassadors in different phases of production. They offer input when a new collection is on the drawing board, through testing of prototypes and, not least, in the final phase, before the finished product is tested in production.
Fredrik says the design team at Norrøna is constantly looking for small improvements. Sometimes they come from the ambassadors, but they can also come from other staff. Two people must test all Norrøna products for at least 300 hours each. That is 600 hours. If the product passes the test, it can be put into production.
“When we test our products so thoroughly, we gain complete confidence that the skiers out there get something that really works,” he says.

 

Check out the products from Norrøna :