How This New Trail Running Brand Is Making a Splash With Help From Vibram and Ciele Athletics

Peter Verry
·3 min read

Norda is set on winning trail runners over with its innovative approach to footwear creation. And the emerging brand from Canada’s new collaboration could help get more eyes on the brand.

Arriving Thursday is a fresh take on the Norda 001, the brand’s seamless trail running shoe. The look was created alongside another Canada-based company, Ciele Athletics, marking its shoe collaboration debut.

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“Ciele Athletics has been asked by everyone in footwear to do a collaboration. The founders and brand are entirely unwavering in their values and encourage all runners. Our team at Norda share the same values,” said Nick Martire, co-founder of Norda. “Launching a new brand is no small feat, and to have their partnership is extremely meaningful to us.”

Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk.” - Credit: Courtesy of Norda
Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk.” - Credit: Courtesy of Norda

Courtesy of Norda

Dubbed the Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk,” the shoe was inspired by the bird of the same name, which is agile and known for its bright yellow talons.

“The Norda 001 is both a beautiful shoe, as well as really a huge step for performance footwear design and development. It spoke for itself and the people involved cliched it,” said Jeremy Bresnen, co-founder of Ciele Athletics. “We believe in what they’re doing and as two likeminded, run focused brands based in Montreal, it made absolute sense that this would be the first shoe with the Ciele Athletics name on it.”

Aside from it being the debut shoe collaboration for Ciele Athletics, the look also features a striking yellow Vibram midsole, which is paired with an outsole also from the company.

“Vibram has a strong appreciation for performance based products and brands, emerging and entrenched. We were impressed with the Norda team and their many years of combined experience in footwear and brand building, as well as their ambition and disruptive approach,” said Fabrizio Gamberini, global chief brand officer and president of Vibram Corp. “Norda has very successfully and elegantly created a truly first to market package which excels on the trail and beyond.”

The high-performance trail running shoe was created with both sustainability and durability in mind. It is made with Dyneema, a lightweight fiber that Norda stated is 15-times stronger than steel by weight. The specific version of Dyneema used on the upper, according to Norda, is seamless and bio-based, and 75% of the energy used to create the fiber comes from renewable energy sources, saving CO2 emissions equivalent to 13,000 vehicles.

The uppers sit atop midsoles and outsoles created in partnership with Vibram. Norda said the sole unit, which is exclusive to the shoe, was a result of almost 2 years of collaboration with Vibram.

The Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk” will retail for $285 and be available via Nordarun.com.

Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk.” - Credit: Courtesy of Norda
Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk.” - Credit: Courtesy of Norda

Courtesy of Norda

The heels of the Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk.” - Credit: Courtesy of Norda
The heels of the Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk.” - Credit: Courtesy of Norda

Courtesy of Norda

The Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk” outsole. - Credit: Courtesy of Norda
The Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk” outsole. - Credit: Courtesy of Norda

Courtesy of Norda

A top down look at the Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk.” - Credit: Julien Payette-Tessier
A top down look at the Ciele x Norda 001 “Cooper’s Hawk.” - Credit: Julien Payette-Tessier

Julien Payette-Tessier

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