There exists a subset of athleisure fanatics, where technical advancement enthusiasts intersect with those who love of running. And their common denominator is norda.
A brand that quietly climbed the ranks of the ultimate running shoe, norda’s impressive growth stems from its minimalist essentialist aesthetic and state-of-the-art unprecedented running technology. Where most brands have large logos; norda’s is tiny. Where most brands have already tried to use Dyneema to create a running shoe but failed; norda succeeded. As expressed by its founder; “When they zig, we zag.”
Such a strong opposition towards conventional shoe manufacturing is manifested not only by 20+ years in the shoe industry but by dissatisfaction within the contemporary trail running shoe market. The husband and wife Martire duo teamed up with designer Louis-Martin Tremblay and brand development lead Gerard Cleal, to create a shoe that its founders might finally be happy with. Crafted with the finest materials, including indestructible durable Dyneema, Martire spotlights his desire for norda to be “the top-rated.” He further adds to HBX, “I want norda to be the finest with the highest performance.”
It only takes a simple glance at norda’s careful weaving and material selection to indicate that norda is not just about making shoes, it’s about being the finest craftsmen.
With a fresh restock and new colorways coming to HBX, we caught up with the brand’s co-founder, Nick Martire, to discuss norda’s journey, athletic business philosophies, and the Porsche that’s made for your feet.
First of all, thank you, again for being here. As of this moment, it’s been about four years since Norda first started - looking back, how do you think it's gone?
When we started the company as a team of four with this vision, we said, “Look, if it's gonna work out, you know, we'll all be in norda one day.” And now here we are. So yeah, it's just been an epic journey.
What has been your proudest moment?
Good question. I think a couple of things. One, just succeeding and making the shoe is an achievement. There's a tremendous amount of innovation in the use of materials like Dyneema; it’s the lightest, strongest fiber and it's the first time these sorts of materials have ever been used for shoemaking.
And then the other thing is just the global acceptance of Norda has been far beyond our expectations. We never even expected it.
When you first start a brand that’s pretty scary in itself. But you're starting a brand with Dyneema, as you said, a material that has never been used before in shoe, that’s even scarier. What was your mindset like at the time taking on two challenges simultaneously?
So I've been in shoe making for a long time and we’ve been talking about this project for about 20 years. You just have to wait for that right moment, the right time. And that right moment came in our lives and we just got to work. But we wanted to use the best technology, and so we found Dyneema. The funny thing is, we called them and they said, “Do you realize all the big companies have already tried to make a shoe with Dyneema? We'll give you the support, we'll give you materials, you can figure it out.” And it really took us two years to figure it out. We figured it out by weaving the material.
So weaving is what sets your shoe apart from all the other brands that have tried to use Dyneema in the past?
Yeah. Dyneema main material - it's like a tent material and it's very hard. So we had to get that into a filament. And then we were able to weave it through recycled nylon to make it flexible so that it could be used in shoe application. I mean, we could have made a shoe without it, but our whole purpose was lighter, stronger, and more durable. That was our strategy towards responsibility and sustainability.
I think your audience resonates with that and, as you said, is receptive to innovation - I think that your product hit that nail on the head.
Just building on what you just said, I hope and I think people see that there are real people behind this company. You know, the authenticity, and we were lifelong shoemakers.
AN ATHLETIC MINDSET
So, I know that you are also a runner in your free time. Do you have free time to run these days?
Not much [laughs]
Do you miss that?
No actually, I don't. I have been a very competitive cross-country skier, and I’ve been an ultra-endurance bike racer. You know, there was a time when I was cycling and training 1000 kilometers a month. But I don't have any time to do any of that. Norda is our baby now.
Is any of that mindset you had when you were an athlete - do you use that manner of thinking when it comes to running your business?
Yes, I think [athletes] are very competitive individuals. And I think it takes a tremendous amount of discipline, hard work ethic, and stubbornness - sometimes to a fault - to be a successful entrepreneur and launch a business from scratch.
Is this a mindset that most entrepreneurs should have if they are someone who is trying to start a business - should they have this almost stubborn determination?
Yes, it's an interesting way of looking at it. Sometimes you'll have this vision, it'll be totally crystal clear. You can see it. And you’ll talk with other people, and they'll be like “You’re nuts. You're gonna fail.” And you're like, “What do you mean?” [laughs] Point is a lot of those people will tell you, “No you can't do it,” or “That's dumb.” But you just have to be stubborn and see through it. I think the magical ones that do push through have that special entrepreneurial vision.
Interesting. I also think that a lot of people say that it's the CEO, the founders, and their own beliefs and personality that's been put into the brand that help make it successful. If you could, could you share how you see yourself?
The official answer or the real answer? I can give you a nice political perfect answer, but I prefer to give you the wrong real answer.
I'm someone who is not ever really satisfied. I never accept, you know, the first answer or the first offer, I always believe that we can do better. My partner in our business, Willa, is much, much smarter, and much more patient. And sometimes I would say even more competitive than I am. So there's this crazy desire to win. And it's the only way to survive. I work two extra hours a day seven days a week. So it's 14 hours more per week probably than the average person. I think I did the math the other day - I think I'm working 100 days more. In terms of total time, it's necessary.
When I was younger, I was always like, “I'm not gonna work these crazy hours.” But now I realize, you have to put in the time. It's the only way - you just gotta put in the time.
PRODUCT FOCUS
In the past, norda has been compared to Land Rovers and Porsches. Do you think that norda aligns with either of them more between the two?
The norda 001 is the Porsche 911 Turbo. The back tab is like back in the 90s when cars used to have a very pronounced spoiler. People were like, “You can take a lot of weight off the shoe by taking [the back tab] off.” But this is the coolest part about the shoe. When you see it, walking through a city or wherever you can see it from a mile away. And then we always say, we're huge fans of Land Rover defenders so that's what represents for us the timelessness of that iconic vehicle.
So you can see it really falling right in the middle of both the comparisons.
Somebody asked me once if I look to other footwear brands for inspiration. And I said, “If I'm totally honest, no.” I'm aware. I watch what's going on in footwear. But we don't want to be like any other footwear brand and assimilate. If you look at our first shoe, we intentionally put out a white gum trail shoe. If you look at a shoe wall, most gum soles are usually yellow or whatever. And we chose white because we wanted it to stand out on the wall. But you have to baptize the shoe by you know, jumping in the mud with this shoe you just spent like $2,100 on [laughs]. So Willa started this tagline, which was "Just add mud." And then people started doing this thing where it was like before and after pictures.
So you're encouraging people to get the shoes roughed up. It’s almost the opposite of a lot of the sneaker industry, there’s a lot of focus on keeping shoes pristine, but you're doing the opposite of that.
If someone writes to us and asks, “How do we get the shoes clean?” We're like, “You don’t.” Every time you go out, it's your canvas.
Do you have a favorite Norda shoe?
Do I have to just choose one?
You can pick your top three.
I've gotten back into the first shoe that we introduced with the white gum. But recently, we just released the 003 which is awesome. It's just the most comfortable shoe. And my third favorite, I'll say that we have a new shoe, which is a baby that we've been working on. It's called 005.
You skipped the 004?
We did the 005 so fast it jumped ahead of the 004. It’s a race shoe and the lightest, strongest shoe for racing. We're going to be unveiling it during the world championship races in Chamonix, France, during the UTMB, and will be available in the spring of 2025. That's my favorite shoe, the newest, newest baby, which is cooking.
THE FUTURE OF NORDA
You've collaborated with a couple of brands in the past - how has that been for you?
Every single collaboration we've done, they've been amazing. But the most meaningful one for us is Ermenegildo Zegna Group, which owns Tom Ford and Thom Brown. They had reached out to us and asked us to collaborate and we said, “Did you make a mistake? You know, we're tiny. Are you sure?”
With norda, everything's been thought out down to even the stitching. In terms of improving, how can norda even get better?
Yes, absolutely. So I'd say two things, one. For something to bear the norda name, it must be the finest, we are just committed to making the finest products. We've made minor ongoing upgrades along the way. but one thing that's very important is the foams. So we're looking at exploring different foams and how we can upgrade them to be even better going forward. You know, like how car companies upgrade their cars every four years. That's usually the cycle.
Okay, my final question. Norda came from a desire to create a better shoe, ultimately something more durable and sustainable, something that essentially you were happy with. Are you happy with your shoes?
I am beyond - I get goosebumps actually. Primarily just because I'm just happy that other people are happy about what we did to create something for a need that you thought existed. But clearly people want the same thing.
You can shop norda now at HBX.