Sweet Protection

In 1997, freestyle kayaking was gaining ground. The existing kayaks were crap, and Ståle started a revolution by developing a Kevlar wonder for his friend and top kayaker, Erik Martinsen. With a plan of starting a kayak company called "SNM (Ståle Norman Møller) Playboats," Ståle actually found the first spark of the Sweet Protection brand.

SNM kind of vanished in the haze while Ståle was still in design school. Soon, he made another head turner: a carbon-fiber helmet Erik could use at the Freestyle Kayaking World Championships. The existing kayak equipment of those days was best described as “soviet agricultural chic,” so Ståle's innovative approach and fresh design was breathtaking. Everybody wanted it, and the garage roared back to life – keeping family and neighbors awake late into the night, just like the Bushmade Skateboards days.

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