Made in Finland - Inspired by the Nordic heritage
Few weeks ago I got the a pleasure to take part at the launch of new Finnish brand Noux Clothing, held at My O My. Personally I was really happy to be there as the launch materialized a project of a friend of mine who I know have been working with the idea for quite a while.
The idea of making shoes “made in Finland” is more than rare nowadays. However for few years these guys have been pushing forward their dream and finally the shoes (together additional beanies) are on the market.
At the moment there’s one model available, “The Nuorgam Boot” which is derived from the traditional Lappish shoe combined with a bit “Red Wing boot” inspired styling and implementation. The boot, which can be considered “unisex” is up for grabs in black and tan color, both featuring Vibram Christy soles and a warm sheepskin inner lining, unique for every single pair.
For the beanies there’s three different choices and designs (Pallas, Bergö and Murmansk), all made of organic merino wool and produced in Saaremaa, Estonia.
To take a bit closer look behind the idea and concept of Noux, I had a little chat with Henri, one of the three owners of the company.
Shortly, what’s NOUX Clothing all about and what’s the inspiration behind the brand?
NOUX is about items with great stories behind them. NOUX exists to revive traditional northern designs and their makers. Hence our motto "Northern classics reborn". The name comes from a national park close to Helsinki. It's only 30 minutes away from the city center, but you feel like you're really out in the wilderness. We go there regularly to trek, ski and find inspiration.
How did you come up with the idea of starting to produce this kind of products (shoes inspired by the “lapland heritage”) in the first place?
It all started with our love for heritage. For instance, all three founders have been using Red Wing boots for years. One day we started thinking that it would be great to combine the classic Lapp shoe with Vibram's Cristy sole. After that it took two years and many trips to Töysä (where the Lapp shoes are made) before we were ready with the design.
The white Vibram's Cristy sole nicely compliments the light colored leather
Not much of the shoe industry left in Finland - but these are still made in Töysä
For who are Noux products made for?
If we had to name a specific customer "segment", it would be called urban nomads: people who are constantly looking for new places and expressions of creativity, but at the same time have respect for the heritage and stories behind products.
You now launched shoes and a bunch of beanies? What’s next?
We’re focusing on new shoe models for spring and summer, for example a Lapland-inspired moccasin is in the pipeline. We have plans for bags and clothes too, but we rather keep our collection small and focused. But we are actively looking for items that we could help be the next “Northern classic reborn”. One of the most interesting ventures were looking into at the moment is reviving classic Finnish tapestry (ryijy) - with a modern twist of course!
Even though I might find it a bit hard to place the boots into my own wardrobe I must congratulate the guys for making their vision to come true and I hope them all the best! Also looking forward to those moccasin models for the upcoming summer.
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