MEET THE TEAM: EPISODE 1

MEET THE TEAM: EPISODE 1

MEET THE TEAM: EPISODE 1

Ever Wondered who is behind the project Norm and why it was created ? In this post, we'll let you know everything.

About three years ago, we, Antoine, Arnaud and Nicolas were in a meeting talking about how we would like to see the footwear industry change and how it would be better if everything was produced locally in a sustainable manner...This was until we realised that we could actually do something about it and not just wait for it to happen. We pushed the reflection a bit further, looked at all the potential solutions, we tested and restarted quite a few times until we got it right. Norm was born.

But to create a great project, you need a great team. So how did that happen? Well, sometimes you need to be lucky and your path just cross one another. Few hundreds discussions and a couple of beers later (or the other way around...) you realise that you have the same vision and that your skills are complementary, so you join forces and you go ahead. 

The first pillar of the trio is Nicolas. He is the artist of the team. Shoe designer since he finished his studies in a prestigious fashion school in Brussels, he cumulated experiences with renowned brands that helped him develop his technical skills. Nicolas is in a constant creative process, always drawing, testing, discussing with suppliers about new materials or new techniques...He ensures that we always have something cool coming up.

Nicolas also takes care of the production follow up and, as a perfectionist, he ensures the quality of our products. Nicolas his a go-getter and a doer and he pushes the team to achieve its targets, but his creative mindset is also well needed for all the things that goes around the sneakers themselves: branding, packaging, typo,...he always ensures that we stay coherent across everything. 

Didn't you say you were gonna tell everything ?

Yeah...right...after all we are 100% transparent at Norm, so here are all the spicy details you were waiting for:

What he likes: playing his own Lego with his 6 years old son. Endless Seaview. Wondering which of his navy blue hoodie he's going to wear today. He's crazy of fennel, licorice candies and sometimes enjoys a glas of pastis. And cheese, He can eat cheese all day, specially Spanish and Italian cheese. Did we already tell you that he loves cheese?

He likes watching documentaries on Netflix. "To get inspired I recommend Abstract the art of design, or more recently The last dance about the amazing Michael Jordan".

What he hates:  Dirty white soles or dirt on any soles or just dirt. He hates salami. Even more on pizza. Fashion Week looks like hell on earth. Greenwashing or green label on fast fashion clothing.

His influences: Dieter Rams, Tinker Hatfield, Tadao Ando ( a German, an American and a Japanese …it’s not the beginning of a joke )

His favourite food: Katsu Curry. ( It’s a Japanese meal, not an actress)

His favourite drink: Ouzo when I’m serious, Aperol Spritz when I’m chill. Oh and pastis (remember?)

His favourite artist: Kaws, the modern Andy Warhol, whiteout the crazy haircut

His favourite song: Mask off, Future (but now is more mask on)

His favourite movie: The Big Lebowski (I’m living like the Dude since the lockdown)

Sports he enjoys: Brazilian JuJitsu (difficult with social distance)

Fun fact: my Size of jeans is 34-34. But I swear I’m not a square.

    That's it for today, but we'll have more to come! Stay put for the next episode !