Norrøna

Norrøna is a Norwegian brand of outdoor clothing and sports gear. The company was founded in 1929 by Jørgen Jørgensen and is run by his great-grandson, also named Jørgen Jørgensen.[1][2][3]

For the Faroe ship, see Norröna. For the philological society, see Norrœna Society.
Norrøna
Founded29 April 1929
HeadquartersLysaker, Norway
ProductsClothing and sports gear
Websitenorrona.com

History
Norrøna jacket from 1993

Norrøna was founded on 29 April 1929 by Jørgen Jørgensen. He was succeeded in turn by his son Bjarne, by Bjarne's son Ole Jørgen, and in 2005 by Ole Jørgen's son Jørgen Jørgensen, who opened the company's first shop in November 2009[4] and won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the retailing category in 2012.[5] The company has expanded over the years into areas including garden furniture, but now again concentrates on outdoor clothing and expedition equipment for a variety of sports including skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, climbing, hiking, trekking, hunting, and arctic surfing.[2] The first children's collection is to go on sale in August 2014.[6] Norrøna's annual turnover increased 44% to 235 million Norwegian kroner in 2011 and 22% to 245 million kroner in 2012.[5][7]

Norrøna is known for innovation and employs 17 of its 55 staff in research and development. Everything is done in-house at its headquarters, in Oslo, Norway, which showcases a picturesque waterfall in the back of the property. Its arctic surf collection, Unstad, was first tested in the river flowing from this waterfall. The company introduced the first tunnel tent for mountaineers, developed an ergonomic standard for backpacks, and introduced Gore-Tex to Europe.[3][5] It has worked with expedition leaders and sportsmen including Lars Monsen, cyclist Kurt Asle Arvesen,[8] polar explorer Børge Ousland,[2][9][10] freerider Christine Hargin,[11] urban skier Even Sigstad, and snowboarder Andreas Wiig.[12] Norrøna also has tapped into the North American market: retailers sell its goods there, and Canadian athletes Mike Henitiuk and boardercross racer Mark Morrison represent the brand.[13]

Norrøna popularised "flashy" colours in outdoor wear. Their flagship product is the Lofoten, a snow suit with a roomy cut that adapts to cross-country or downhill skiing or snowboarding, sells some 500 units a year, and has been widely imitated.[3] Their collections are traditionally named for locations where those particular garments were designed to be worn.[14] For example, the lofoten collection is designed for the big mountain freeriding found in Lofoten, Norway, and their fjørå collection, which is designed for single-track mountain biking, was inspired by the village of Fjørå, which is located in Norway's Sunnmøre fjords and is home to a network of single-track mountain bike trails.

References
  1. About Norrøna: The History of Norrøna, Norrøna, retrieved 13 January 2015.
  2. Øystein Aldridge, "I oldefars fotspor", Osloby, Aftenposten, 4 December 2009 (in Norwegian)
  3. Nathalie Lamoureux, "Norrøna, le style et la technique", Le Point, 5 March 2012, updated 6 March 2012 (in French)
  4. Norrøna Åpner Flagship Store i Oslo Archived 2010-02-03 at the Wayback Machine, Skier.no, 26 November 2009 (in Norwegian)
  5. Jørgensen vant pris Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, Sportsbransjen, 28 November 2012 (in Norwegian)
  6. Morten Gisle Johnsen, "Denne gjengen selger jakker over hele verden", Budstikka, 23 March 2014 (in Norwegian)
  7. Lars Magne Sunnanå, "Dette er én av 3308 norske suksessbedrifter", Nyheter24, Aftenposten, 2 October 2012 (in Norwegian)
  8. "Kurt Asle Arvesen". kurtaslearvesen.no. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  9. Community: Team, Norrøna, retrieved 5 May 2010, archived 5 July 2010.
  10. "Børge Ousland". ousland.no. Retrieved 2010-05-05. (broken link)
  11. "Norrøna innleder verdensmester-samarbeid", Tekstilforum, 19 November 2012 (in Norwegian)
  12. Tore Meirik, "(Rail)kongens klær", Friflyt, 24 March 2014 (in Norwegian)
  13. Fraser, Sara (2016-01-16). ""P.E.I.'s snowboard team of 1: Meet Mark Morrison"". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  14. Silje Andvik Hoaas, "Kolleksjonen kler Røldalnavnet", Hardanger Folkeblad, 1 November 2004 (in Norwegian)
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