It all started with woolen socks
The story of the present-day North Outdoor traces back to the turn of the millennium when Teemu Kattilakoski and Lauri Pyykönen's lives were governed by the disciplined routine of competitive athletes. Representing the national cross-country skiing team, the athlete friends spent hundreds of days on training and competition trips. Ski tracks were like a second home, and the conditions were often harsh. Whether it was freezing cold, windy, or raining sleet outside, they hit the tracks regardless of the weather. Heart rates soared, sweat poured, clothes were put on and taken off according to the situation and weather. The finely tuned body of a top athlete could not afford to freeze.
There was no shortage of equipment, but its performance in extreme conditions and increasing intensity was questionable. It seemed that there wasn't yet a combination that would sufficiently warm and protect, even when everything had been squeezed out of the machinery and the jacket was literally empty and wet. Kattilakoski and Pyykönen were intrigued by solving this problem. In their spare time, the friends brainstormed carefree clothing that would allow one to fully enjoy life without cold, heat, and laundry mountains. The demands on the materials were high.
In the early 2000s, sports clothing was thoroughly technical and synthetic from head to toe. When skiers were given the first test samples of merino wool socks, there was a realization that the solution to strict criteria might lie in natural materials. Wool socks soaked in the boot didn't feel unpleasant but comfortable, and, best of all, they still provided warmth.
Thus began years of ambitious work, delving into the properties of merino wool and the manufacturing of wool products with unwavering determination and resolve. In product development, they adhered to the motto that had propelled them to top achievements during their active years: "Progress stops at satisfaction."
The journey from idea to realization has demanded from the duo the same efforts and sweat familiar from elite sports. Their actions are guided by courage, ambition, and trust in the belief that with Finnish expertise and proper execution, success can be achieved internationally as well. There have been ups and downs, but the pace has never faltered. Over the span of just over a decade, North Outdoor has grown into a clothing company employing over 30 people, with its own domestic knitting mill and three locations throughout Finland.
Success in this field isn't measured by World Championship medals. A greater achievement than any award is the hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers who live active and fulfilling lives in comfortable and carefree merino wool garments - products that offer the freedom to live to the fullest.
