Norrona 2022/23 Womens Snow Outerwear Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Womens Snow Outerwear 2022/23 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Norrona
Interviewee: Karoline Sarilla, Web & Content editor and Fredrik Lundberg, RDD Director

Please provide an overview of how 2021/22 is shaping up for your brand. Has COVID-19 affected your line? If so, please explain the changes you have made, and how you came to these decisions.
No really significant changes in our collection building due to Covid. We try to make the best we can towards activity with or without a worldwide pandemic.

What is the overall theme behind your FW 22/23 outerwear range?
We do not work so much theme-based. Our structure and philosophy behind a product assortment are again to try to do the best products for a given end-use and activity. We follow a general Norrøna aesthetic based on our design DNA, “Loaded Minimalism™.” When we launch a new collection, like lofoten, we have an ambition that it lives a minimum of 4 years. This is a matter of consistency, which is a matter of quality. We do, from time to time, have a theme behind a collection. One example is our tamok collection which is theme-based from an aesthetic, look & feel point of view. We do that to ensure uniqueness within our collection as a minimum.

From which big trends do you take your inspiration?
We are not so much into trends; we try to do things we like ourselves foremost, and if that is hot or not, for the time being, we do not focus so much on it. But, at the same time, we are a product of our time, and we study behavior as everyone else does to stay relevant.

What new fits/silhouettes are coming out in FW 22/23?
When we are launching a product, we have a minimum of 4years that we expect that product to live until we make any changes. This means that we as a company do not shift fits or silhouettes from season to season. We are focusing on building long-term consistency so the customer can recognize the fit we are offering. We as a company thought of going towards a more spacious fit offering a bit more volume between the body measurements and the garment.

What new colors/prints are you introducing?
We don’t work much with print, but here are some new color highlights:

Blue fog: A lighter neutral, cold blue/grey which is great to combine with warm colors such as reds and golden tones, but works great with most of our colors. Gender-neutral.
Mykonos blue: A classic sporty blue color, works great with dark or neutral tones and is also great to combine with warmer colors. Gender-neutral.
Orange alert: A vibrant orange with a soft touch, suits most skin tones. Only used in W’s wear.

Any *NEW* technical stories with regards to fabrics and materials?
The lyngen equalizer stretch Tights Windproof, stretchy tights developed for ski touring – “The functionality of a ski pant, the comfort of tights”.

With these tights, we’ve combined four main materials to craft the best ski touring tights – a specialized ski/randonee pant in a tights format. We’ve seen that tights are frequently used in the ski touring scene, but they are often running tights, so we saw the opportunity to develop tights specifically designed for ski touring. We had to construct the product from more material than one to provide the ultimate ski touring tights. We’ve handpicked the four materials to fulfill different purposes: The main material is a warp knitted highly stretchable and thermal quality to give warmth and comfort. Our 2nd material is a highly stretchable woven double weave to add additional durability and wind resistance. The 3rd material is a 200D waterproof fabric specifically made to protect the product from ski edges/sharp objects and prevent a soggy bottom hem. Finally, the 4th material is a highly stretchable quality for the pockets made to accommodate more oversized items.

What pant and jacket styles are most important in your range?

The lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Jacket
The lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Pants
The lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Plus Jacket
The lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Plus Pants
The lofoten Gore-Tex insulated Jacket
The lofoten Gore-Tex insulated Pants
The tamok Gore-Tex Pro Jacket
The tamok Gore-Tex Pro bib Pants

What are your top marketing stories for FW 22/23?
The lyngen collection. The lyngen collection is a freeride-driven ski touring line, first launched in 2009. Pushing the limits of durable lightweight, packability, and the balance between protection and breathability. Named after Norway’s greatest ski touring destination. In the 22/23 seasons, we’ll expand the line to include more styles to enable an extremely flexible collection launching e.g. a ski touring tights, GORE-TEX paclite over pants, and cotton pants.

The lyngen ski touring tights. These unique ski touring tights are developed to offer the comfort of tights with the functionality of ski pants.

The lofoten collection. A flagship within our assortment, now with an added fleece style. “The lofoten collection was launched in 2004 as the world’s first true freeride collection. It is still the pinnacle of premium products for freeriding, known for its signature design, bold colors, and innovative features. Named after the most beautiful and spectacular area to ski, summit to sea.

The 30L lofoten Pack. Our most durable, fully-featured ski/snowboard pack, now designed with a shorter back and a slightly narrower shoulder strap placement for women.

Outerwear Best Sellers/Hero products
The lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Jacket: Our iconic waterproof ski/snowboard jacket developed for big mountain freeride, designed uncompromisingly to fulfill the big mountain freeriders need for protection and functionality. Made in a 70Dx70D recycled Gore-Tex Pro most breathable fabric to ensure optimal durability and weather protection, and equipped with high-end solutions and features to cover every freeride requirement.

The lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Pants: Our iconic waterproof ski/snowboard pants developed for big mountain freeride, designed uncompromisingly to fulfill the big mountain freeriders need for protection and functionality. Made in extremely durable 3L 200D recycled Gore-Tex Pro most rugged fabric to ensure optimal durability and weather protection, and equipped with high-end solutions and features to cover every freeride requirement.

The tamok Gore-Tex Pro Jacket: Our most durable, waterproof ski/snowboard jacket developed for backcountry freeride. It is made in a highly durable 3-layer 70D X 160D recycled Gore-Tex Pro fabric with reinforced 200D Gore-Tex Pro fabric on the shoulders and elbows. The longer cut will provide superior protection from rough weather, along with great ventilation for touring and hiking missions.

What’s your base layer strategy for FW 22/23? Please let us know your tech innovations, materials, colors, and price points.
This year we launched our first base layer products in the new norrøna Ull material. Norrøna Ull is our own ultrafine, premium 18,5-micron merino wool knitted in Europe. All Ull products are sewn at the Norrøna Factory in Lithuania. We will offer ull in different fabric qualities, and for the FW22/23 season, two will be available:

pureUll – 100% merino wool

corespunUll – merino wool spun around a recycled nylon core

Launched 21/22: The Norrøna pureUll – Our pureUll is an all-natural material consisting of 100% merino wool. Made with ultra-fine 18.5-micron wool, it offers the perfect balance between performance and non-itching next-to-skin softness. The RWS certifies wool will keep you warm even when wet, cools you down when warm, has natural anti-smell properties, and feels soft next to the skin.

Launching 22/23: The lofoten corespunUll – The corespunUll consists of 18,5-micron merino wool spun around a recycled nylon core and is exclusively developed by us. The nylon core makes the fabric more durable and stabilizes the construction to enhance the functions and endurance of the wool knit. The RWS certifies wool will keep you warm even when wet, cools you down when warm, has natural anti-smell properties, and feels soft next to the skin.

The styles are more technical than the pureUll styles and are primarily made for snow activities. Planned styles are hooded long sleeve, polo long sleeve, round neck long sleeve, and longs – ¾ length for men, regular for women.