The following article was written by Ana McCabe and features Nnormal, its inspiration, values, principles, and more. Featured photo courtesy Louis Canadas.
For trail runners, finding apparel and gear that feel comfortable, showcase style, and hold well for hours can be difficult. Fast fashion trends and expensive gear with a short lifespan can be discouraging when choosing a brand that aligns with one’s fitness and lifestyle goals. Luckily, there are numerous outdoor sports companies that strive to provide quality products with minimal impact on the environment.
NNormal is a trail running company that equally prioritizes environmental health and customer satisfaction. The company believes, “outdoor gear can both raise awareness of and help protect the natural world we all love to explore. NNormal – short for ‘No normal’- is about treading more lightly, and having huge respect for the environment.”
“The exciting part about NNormal is we are bringing the highest performance and sustainability together in a way that works,” opines Mike Ambrose, Nnormal USA Country Manager. “Our products are highly versatile while winning races and empowering all runners. In addition, they last much longer than other trail shoes.”
Mission, Values, Practices
NNormal’s acronym ‘No-Normal’ stresses the intent to veer from conventional apparel manufacturing to more eco-friendly production methods. What is normal for NNormal is the company’s commitment to create products with a ‘no trace’ principle to ensure the natural world flourishes so runners of the present and future can enjoy the trails.
NNormal’s three core values; comfort, durability, and quality, exemplify the company’s mission of “inspiring people to enjoy and respect nature.” NNormal encourages customers to repair, reuse, and recycle apparel and gear that many times are already on its second life, further minimizing waste and energy consumption.
Ambrose says, “We are starting to find our place in the market, with runners coming to NNormal for a highly durable, more sustainable solution. As we grow, our Brand Values will always be in the forefront of our strategy and growth.”
History
In 2022, Kilian Jornet, mountain athlete and one of the most prominent trail runners in history, partnered with Camper, the family-owned global footwear company, to create trail running gear with less waste and minimal environmental impact. Thus, NNormal was born. The partnership between Jornet and Camper allows the two to combine their expertise to manufacture a product that not only contains quality and durability, but is also tested and used by the exact type of consumers it is intended for. Jornet’s and Camper’s different skill sets merge together in their shared passion for sustainability.
Miguel Fluxa, CEO of Camper, explains the relationship between Camper and Jornet on NNormal’s website. “We are complementary partners of NNormal. Having the opportunity to conceive it with someone like Kilian is really unique: to combine performance with personal responsibility strongly resonates with our DNA. He brings his strong product development expertise and unique vision of the outdoor world, while Camper brings innovation, shoemaking and design know-how.”
Community
NNormal’s sponsored athletes represent the company’s values and epitomize the lifestyles of true outdoor enthusiasts who care for the natural world. Kilian Jornet, Emelie Forsberg, Tofol Castanyer, Dakota Jones, Allie Ostrander, Alejandro Forcades, and Elhousine Elazzzoui share a deep joy and purpose exploring and caring for the earth through running, careers, and other endeavors. These highly successful athletes show the trail running community achieving athletic goals can go hand-in-hand with making choices to minimize impact on the environment.
Each NNormal ambassador pursues other careers alongside professional trail running. NNormal ambassador and successful outdoor athlete Emelie Forsberg is the co-creator of Moonvalley, an organic sports food brand. In her bio, Forsberg shares, “The core values and the philosophy of NNormal encourage me to think that I can be an athlete and protect nature at the same time. I’m really excited about it – and it’s inspiring me to do even more!”
In the summer of 2023, these athletes spent a week training and learning together in Vallorcine, France. They ran and explored the Alps, attended sustainability-focused meetings to promote the brand, and learned how to incorporate more eco-friendly actions in their own lives. The community developed during this week of training emphasized the importance of accountability, teamwork, and encouragement, not only for athletic purposes but also for engaging in habitual environmentally conscious actions.
According to Ambrose, “It’s a team effort at NNormal. We are lucky to be a part of a small, but highly energized brand. The team is all aligned on our values and how we want to bring our brand and products to life. It’s rewarding to work closely with the entire team and then see our products out on the trail.”
Comfort, Durability, Quality, Performance
NNormal emphasizes comfort, durability, and quality in their products for all athletic types and levels. This brand breaks the stereotype of mindless waste that comes from mass-manufacturing. Athletes can feel good and make more of an impact on their race results instead of the Earth.
NNormal’s gear maintenance tips help increase product longevity and emphasizes the responsibility both companies and consumers have to minimize their environmental footprint. NNormal’s partnership with Vibram, an outsole manufacturing company, offers customers access to cobblers in France, Italy, and Spain to resole and repair NNormal trail shoes.The company’s Restore your Shoes page provides more information and details their belief in the importance and sustainability of local businesses and product durability. NNormal’s motto is, “repair if you care.”
NNormal trail shoes are not the only gear with the chance for a second life. The company’s No Trace Program allows customers to bring any used outdoor equipment to be repaired or recycled at selected stores.
The NNormal design team works directly with the company’s ambassadors to create clothing that optimizes trail running performance. Forsberg collaborated with NNormal to design the NNormal Trail Cropped Top. With her input, the company created a top that is breathable and has multiple pockets to carry necessary nutrition for the trails. This top is made out of recycled polyester and elastane, ideal for endurance athletes who need a long-lasting and comfortable top with little impact to the Earth.
Shoe Designs
NNormal’s four types of trail shoe designs; Tomir 1.0, Tomir 2.0, Tomir Waterproof, and Kjerag, are made from recycled materials, designed to be lightweight, and grip well on any type of terrain. A study done by NNormal on 511 different trail runners found that the Kjerag can last 1,350 kilometers (838.85 miles) before the shoes should be retired. Highly resilient, these trail shoes are able to take on over 600 more miles than the average running shoe lifespan of 300 to 500 miles, or 482.8 to 804.7 kilometers.
NNormal analyzed the above mentioned trail shoe durability study to determine the shoes environmental impact. “During the past season, we calculated that the emissions from our Kjerag and Tomir shoes were 7.5 kg CO2e per pair. Considering the average of 1,350 kilometres that our consumers run with their Kjerags, we have significant data that these shoes generate only 5.5 kg of CO2per 1,000 kilometres.”
Conclusion
NNormal represents the global trail running community well by prioritizing comfort, durability, and sustainability. Companies such as NNormal showcase the desire consumers have for brands that equally optimize athletic performance and minimize environmental impact without surrendering quality. Sustainable companies becoming more popular provides incentive for other manufacturers to make more eco-friendly products.
NNormal is a ‘no-normal’ outdoor equipment company. Rather, this brand is made up of people utilizing their passions to reduce their environmental footprint and help others in the outdoor sports community do the same. The next time you need a new set of trail running gear, switch up your normal go-to products and try NNormal. Every decision we make affects our natural world.
Editor’s Note: Read Peter Maksimow‘s article, Reflections on The Running Event, which features several products seen at the 2023 industry-leading event held annually in Austin, TX, including Nnormal.
