North Outdoor - Design from Finland
North Outdoor is a part of the Design from Finland family. This label signifies that North Outdoor's products are designed responsibly and professionally in Finland. This strongly Finnish company also advocates for Finnish labor, as it employs several domestic small businesses and freelancers.
The "Design from Finland" label signifies that all of North Outdoor's products and services are designed and refined to excellence in Finland.
Finnish Design
The blue sphere logo of Design from Finland is familiar to many. It signifies pride in Finnish craftsmanship, with products and services honed to perfection in the homeland. Above all, the mark highlights Finnish design. The Design from Finland logo also piques interest abroad, where Finnish design and services are seen as a guarantee of quality. Finnish distinctive design is exotic beyond borders.
Companies under the mark transparently open up their production chain and are honest about the origin of their products and the conditions in their factories. This is also true for North Outdoor. The company's latest significant investment is its own knitting factory equipped with cutting-edge technology, established in Oulu. Strong belief in merino wool and our own workmanship works wonders. We proudly manufacture the world's best merino clothing in Finland. We aim to be industry leaders as well. Finland has a strong history in the textile industry, and we have now added our own chapter to it. All products from our knitting factory are made of 100% merino wool. Currently, the factory produces knitted items, sweaters, and accessories. The rapid expansion of the knitting factory will enable larger-scale production of Finnish products in the future.
Products that cannot be manufactured in Finland are produced responsibly in China. Because workplace conditions and responsibility are equally important values for North Outdoor in both Finland and China, the assessment of conditions in Chinese factories is aided by amfori BSCI. The classifications and assessments of North Outdoor's factories are available on the company's website.
North Outdoor's core team is supported by a close-knit group of Finnish experts from whom the company regularly procures services.
Many of North Outdoor's most popular products are manufactured in Finland. "It's great that a significant portion of our products are made in Finland. However, we don't have factories and equipment for all our products here to have the entire production local. That's why some products are manufactured in China. It's important to us that the working conditions in our factories are in good order. That's why we visit the factories in person under normal circumstances on a regular basis and use a well-known external organization to assess the factories. North Outdoor also has its own employee in China who collaborates with our factories. We are proud to be able to share these details on our company's website," says Teemu Kattilakoski, the co-owner of North Outdoor.
Finnish Work
North Outdoor highly values Finnish work and expertise. The core team is supported by a close-knit group of Finnish experts from whom North Outdoor purchases services. "We have continuous collaboration with several photographers, makeup artists, set designers, and models. We also regularly buy services from professionals such as writers, graphic designers, and printing companies. We've had good experiences with both traditional and digital marketing services. The current freelance culture enables us to utilize various high-quality services," explains Teemu regarding the company's structure.
North Outdoor's products made in Finland proudly carry the Key Flag logo, which signifies Finnish work. These products include North Outdoor's beloved, plush merino wool sweaters. "Our most popular Finnish product is the Halla, which is a timeless knit made of 100% merino wool. It feels great to say that it's manufactured in Finland, and in our own knitting factory," Teemu continues. The Kaski merino wool sweater is available for both men and women, and it comes in various colors.
"Finnish design and utilizing Finnish work also enable us to be agile. We receive many color requests from our customers for our merino knits. It's a pleasure to fulfill these requests, sometimes even on short notice," concludes Teemu.
