Being a star in one’s sport does not guarantee brand success. Many internationally renowned basketball and soccer players have faced this challenge. Yet Kilian Jornet—accustomed to covering hundreds of miles at record-breaking speeds—is proving otherwise with Nnormal.
In 2022, as the world emerged from the COVID-19 crisis, the trail-running legend partnered with Mallorca-based footwear brand Camper to create a new sportswear label. The journey began with a single-shoe model built on three core principles: high performance, minimalist design, and sustainability.
Kilian Jornet is the leading ambassador for Nnormal, competing in trail races. – Nnormal
Three years later, the brand offers trail competition shoes under its Kjerag line and versatile outdoor footwear with the Tomir range. It has expanded into technical apparel for men and women and is now distributed by over 1,000 retailers worldwide, primarily in specialty running and mountain stores.
“Our approach is to launch one new product per year. Since our inception, we have more than doubled our activity annually. Our goal is to maintain this growth rate for the next two to three years,” said Romuald Brun, brand director for Europe, who declined to disclose revenue figures.
“We initially prioritized Spain, France, Italy, and the United States. We now have 150 retailers in Spain and 100 in France; major sports retailers have shown interest. This is a remarkable achievement for a startup like ours,” says the executive, highlighting that orders increased 140% for the fall-winter season, with the sales campaign concluding a few weeks ago. He also notes that retailers are expanding their Nnormal offerings in their stores.
Last year, the brand generated 60% of its footwear sales from its Tomir 2 model. Nnormal has now introduced the Kjerag Brut, designed for extreme weather conditions. It features reinforced outsoles for icy terrain and breathable mesh uppers for hot climates. The focus remains durability—building products that last over time, a key appeal for environmentally conscious consumers.
The Tomir 2 is driving Nnormal’s sales. – Nnormal
The brand aims to drive product innovation, combining distinctive aesthetics with a unique approach to footwear. As emerging brands like Satisfy and Roa redefine the sportswear market, Nnormal distinguishes itself with performance-driven design.
On its website, the brand offers the KBoix model, priced at €240. It features two interchangeable outsoles tailored for different running distances. This highly specialized product is designed for athletes with specific technical needs.
Nnormal has also implemented a sustainable packaging system developed by Invisible Company, using biodegradable bags that dissolve in hot water, reinforcing its commitment to environmental responsibility.
The young brand has two major strengths in the highly competitive sports footwear market. With a trail-running legend as its co-founder, it has an unmatched ambassador, instantly making it visible among retailers worldwide. For over a decade, Kilian Jornet has dominated ultra-trail races, tackling extreme challenges and leaving a lasting impression far beyond the world of sports. Through films and projects, he has also promoted a message of environmental respect, raising awareness about the threats to natural ecosystems.
Nnormal pioneered the use of biodegradable packaging. – Nnormal
The second major advantage of Nnormal is its backing from Camper. “The brand’s emergence wouldn’t have been possible without the group,” says Romuald Brun. “Camper provides essential support functions, including logistics, IT, and finance. These elements were crucial in meeting demand and keeping us on track. However, we must still focus on profitability, as we operate as an independent entity.”
This support extends to product development. Kilian Jornet collaborates with Mallorcan shoemakers to craft high-performance footwear, while Régis Tosetti, Nnormal’s artistic director, also works for both brands. He oversees both branding and product design, bringing a lifestyle-inspired aesthetic to Nnormal.
The brand’s visual identity, characterized by bold photography and unconventional graphic elements, reinforces its distinct positioning in the sportswear sector while emphasizing its commitment to sustainability. The connection with Camper is also evident in product design, particularly in construction techniques. Camper’s expertise in stitching has been incorporated into the Tomir 2 model, where a reinforced seam links the upper and the sole.
The brand is expanding into alpine disciplines. – Nnormal
Will Nnormal be available in Camper Lab stores or within Camper’s retail network? “That’s not in our plans,” says Romuald Brun. “However, we see real interest from lifestyle retailers drawn to the outdoor industry, including some Camper-affiliated stores. This could present an interesting opportunity.” While its footwear and minimalist apparel may appeal to concept stores beyond the sports sector, Nnormal will not develop products specifically for this market segment.
Instead, the brand wants to expand into high-altitude sports and strengthen its presence in major sporting events. Last weekend, it was present with its athletes at the Ultra-Trail Chianti, with a long-term goal of making Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc a key moment for boosting its global recognition.
Another creative director departure at a major brand is shaking up the fashion industry. It is now the turn of Austrian designer Norbert Stumpfl to leave Brioni. The label has just confirmed the end of its collaboration with the designer in a statement. Stumpfl had designed Brioni’s collections for the past seven years.
The fashion house founded in 1945, which in 1952 became the first menswear brand to stage a fashion show (in Florence’s legendary Sala Bianca), has expressed its “deep gratitude for the contribution he has made over the years. During his tenure at Brioni, Norbert interpreted with precision the concepts of lightness and discretion, contributing to the evolution of the men’s wardrobe with a modern approach that pays homage to tradition,” Brioni said.
Federico Arrigoni, CEO of Brioni, said, “Our journey continues, and the Maison will continue to consolidate its tradition- perfection of craftsmanship, exceptional materials, and innovation in tailoring techniques- to create true masterpieces, from formalwear to leisurewear and accessories. Brioni pursues its mission of defining the contemporary codes of Italian elegance, while elevating its mastery of high tailoring and bespoke craftsmanship for those who lead and accept nothing but the exceptional.”
Since 2011, Brioni has been part of the Paris-based French luxury group Kering. From 2018 until his departure, the brand’s collections were designed by Norbert Stumpfl, the acclaimed Austrian menswear couturier, celebrated for his blend of impeccable tailoring and cutting-edge fabrics- among his creations were dinner jackets woven with 24-carat gold threads and enzyme-treated silk-linen blends with a soft, distinctive handle. During his tenure, Brioni also expanded masterfully into womenswear, expressing discreet luxury with rare aplomb.
A pinnacle of Roman sartorial luxury, the Italian label marked its 80th anniversary in late November with an exhibition of its superb tailoring and a gala dinner at the Chiostro del Bramante in Rome.
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An Hermes handbag that once belonged to Jane Birkin was sold for $2.86 million (2.45 million euros) at auction in Abu Dhabi on Friday, just months after the record-breaking sale of her first bag from the French brand, Sotheby’s said.
Jane Birkin with one of her signature Hermes bags – Sotheby’s
Hermes first created the design for the British singer and actress in 1984 and it has gone on to become a modern and highly prized classic, sought by fashionistas the world over. The first prototype was sold for 8.58 million euros ($10 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in Paris in July, smashing previous price records for a handbag.
The one sold on Friday was a ‘Birkin Voyageur,’ which was gifted to the former wife of French singing legend Serge Gainsbourg in 2003. The final sale price was around six times times higher than the estimated price range of $230,000-$430,000 given before the sale.
“Jane Birkin’s handbag legacy continues to captivate collectors,” Sotheby’s said in a statement sent to AFP, adding that bidding took place over 11 minutes between six collectors. The new owner was a phone buyer and has not been identified.
The handbag was one of four owned by the late celebrity, who used to sell them to raise money for charitable causes. It has a handwritten inscription in French inside from Birkin that reads: “My Birkin bag, my globetrotting companion.”
A third Hermes bag owned by Birkin is set to go under the hammer on December 15 at the Hotel Drouot auction house in Paris. It was entrusted by the late star to her friend and biographer Gabrielle Crawford, who is selling it to help fund the future Jane Birkin Foundation, Drouot said in a statement.
Produced in very limited numbers, the modern Birkin bag manufactured by Hermes has maintained an aura of exclusivity and is beloved by celebrities such as the Kardashians, Jennifer Lopez, and Victoria Beckham. The most expensive fashion item ever sold at auction was a pair of ruby red slippers worn by actor Judy Garland from The Wizard of Oz in 1939, which sold for $32.5 million in 2024 in Dallas, Texas, according to Sotheby’s.
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues its march to transform businesses’/consumers’ lives with customer advocacy platform Mention Me launching ‘AI Discovery IQ’, a free-to-use tool that “helps brands reach target consumers in the new age of generative AI search”.
Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP/Archives
It claims to allow brands to “instantly audit how discoverable they are within popular AI systems” such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity.
According to Mention Me, 62% of UK consumers now turn to generative AI tools for product recommendations, brand discovery and comparisons, “bypassing traditional search engines entirely [so] businesses are under pressure to respond to this behaviour change,” said the platform’s CEO Wojtek Kokoszka whose platform works with firms including Charlotte Tilbury, Huel and Puma, “helping marketing teams to boost consumer awareness and sales”.
With AI, it says the modern customer journey, powered by natural language prompts instead of outdated keyword strings, means consumers are 4.4 times more likely to convert if they find a brand through a large language model (LLM).
“The rise of ‘agent-mode’ assistants and AI-driven voice search has pushed brands into a new world of digital visibility. Despite this, most brands have little to no insight into how they appear in AI-generated answers”, said Kokoszka.
AI Discoverability IQ claims to give brands an overall LLM discoverability score, specific details on areas such as technical website elements, content and structured data, and actionable recommendations to improve their AI discoverability.
Its tool generates “measurable, trackable outputs” like AI Visibility Score, brands’ prompt-based results, and a side-by-side comparisons with their competitive set. This means brands “can react quickly to improve their discoverability scores” with Mention Me’s wider suite of products and unique first-party data.
It’s also “innovating and evolving” its platform to include more capabilities, such as the ability to benchmark against competitors, to drive further improvements for marketing leaders in the age of AI.
Mention Me CMO Neha Mantri said: “AI Discoverability is not yet a named practice within most marketing teams; the same way SEO wasn’t in the early 2000s. But when up to 31% of consumers say they’re more likely to trust responses from generative AI than traditional search results, this needs to change. Mention Me is naming the problem and providing a solution at just the right time.”