Camper
Spanish footwear brand known for distinctive casual design, comfort-oriented construction, and collaborations with creative partners.
Last updated October 7, 2026
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Overview
Camper is a Spanish footwear brand headquartered in Mallorca and associated with the Fluxà family, whose shoemaking history on the island reaches back to the late nineteenth century. The brand was founded in 1975 by Lorenzo Fluxà, the grandson of Antonio Fluxà, a Mallorcan cobbler credited with introducing sewing machines and mechanized shoemaking to Mallorca in 1877. Camper developed a design-led approach to everyday footwear, combining references to Mediterranean and Spanish craft traditions with unconventional silhouettes, graphic communication, and an emphasis on wearability. The company began expanding its physical retail presence in the early 1980s. Its first Camper store opened in Barcelona in 1981, followed by locations in Paris and Milan in 1992. The brand entered the United States with a New York store in 1999. This progression helped turn Camper from a Spanish footwear label into an international retail brand. Reference material describes the brand as operating in approximately 40 countries, with more than 400 stores and annual sales of roughly four million pairs of shoes; these figures are presented as company-profile information rather than audited financial disclosures. Camper’s core business is footwear, including casual shoes, boots, sandals, and other everyday styles for men, women, and children. Its products are generally positioned in the accessible-to-premium casual segment, with design differentiation serving as a central part of the brand proposition. The Pelotas line is among its best-known offerings. Another important platform is Camper Together, launched in 2006 as a collaboration project through which Camper works with designers, architects, artists, and other partners on distinctive products and retail environments. The brand has also experimented beyond conventional footwear retail. In 2005, Camper introduced Casa Camper, a hospitality concept first opened in Barcelona and subsequently extended to Berlin. The same period saw the creation of Dos Palillos, a restaurant in Barcelona’s Raval district that later received a Michelin star. These projects reflected an attempt to express the wider Camper identity through interiors, hospitality, food, and urban culture rather than through shoes alone. Camper has maintained links with the design and fashion industries through senior creative appointments and collaborative work. Romain Kremer, who had already worked with the brand through Camper Together, became its main collection consultant in 2013 and was appointed creative director in 2014. In 2019, Finnish footwear designer Achilles Ion Gabriel became creative director of CamperLab, the more experimental arm of the brand. In 2012, Miguel Fluxà, representing the fourth generation of the family, was appointed chief executive officer. The company has also used high-profile sports sponsorship to build international visibility. It partnered with Emirates Team New Zealand for the 2011 Volvo Ocean Race and again for the 2013 America’s Cup campaign. In 2018, Camper received Spain’s National Special Achievement Award for Large Fashion Companies, recognizing its contribution to the national fashion industry. Camper remains an active, internationally marketed footwear brand, although the available reference material does not establish a current ownership structure, current executive roster beyond the historical appointments listed, or independently sourced recent financial performance.
History
Camper's background is rooted in the Fluxà family's involvement in Mallorcan shoemaking. In 1877, Antonio Fluxà, a cobbler on the island, introduced sewing machines and helped bring a more mechanized approach to local shoe production. Nearly a century later, his grandson Lorenzo Fluxà founded Camper in 1975. The new brand used this inherited footwear tradition as a base but pursued a contemporary identity centered on casual design, comfort, experimentation, and strong visual communication. Camper's early retail development was concentrated in Spain. Its first store opened in Barcelona in 1981, giving the company a direct branded retail channel. The next major stage was internationalization: stores opened in Paris and Milan in 1992, while the brand entered the United States with a New York location in 1999. These openings placed Camper in prominent European and American fashion markets and supported its transformation from a Mallorcan company into an international footwear label. During the 2000s, Camper broadened the way it expressed its brand. In 2005, it launched Casa Camper, a hotel concept that began in Barcelona and later expanded to Berlin. The company also established Dos Palillos, a restaurant in Barcelona's Raval district that subsequently earned a Michelin star. These ventures extended Camper's design language into hospitality, interiors, and food, while remaining connected to the company's broader interest in urban culture and experience. In 2006, Camper launched Camper Together, a collaboration program through which it worked with external partners to produce distinctive footwear and store concepts. The platform became a continuing mechanism for creative experimentation and helped distinguish Camper from conventional footwear companies whose products and retail environments were developed entirely in-house. The company later developed CamperLab as a more experimental expression of the brand. Camper also pursued international visibility through sports partnerships. It became a key sponsorship partner of Emirates Team New Zealand for the 2011 Volvo Ocean Race and continued the relationship for the 34th America's Cup in 2013. In the creative field, Romain Kremer's relationship with Camper began through eight seasons of Camper Together collaborations. He became a main collection consultant in 2013 and was appointed creative director in 2014. In 2019, Finnish designer Achilles Ion Gabriel was appointed creative director of CamperLab. Management remained connected to the founding family. Miguel Fluxà, representing the fourth generation of the Fluxà family, became chief executive officer in 2012. In 2018, Camper received Spain's National Special Achievement Award for Large Fashion Companies, presented by Queen Letizia as part of the National Fashion Industry Awards. The brand's principal activity remains the design, marketing, and sale of footwear, supported by a global retail and distribution network. The supplied reference describes a presence in about 40 countries, more than 400 stores, and annual sales of approximately four million pairs. No reliable current executive list, ownership details, or independently sourced current financial statements are established by the available material, so those areas remain limited in this dossier.
- 2019
Achilles Ion Gabriel leads CamperLab
[1]Achilles Ion Gabriel was appointed creative director of CamperLab.
- 2018
National fashion-industry award
[1]Camper received Spain's National Special Achievement Award for Large Fashion Companies.
- 2014
Romain Kremer becomes creative director
[1]Following prior collaboration with Camper and a consulting role, Romain Kremer became creative director.
- 2012
Miguel Fluxà appointed CEO
[1]Miguel Fluxà became chief executive officer as a fourth-generation representative of the founding family.
- 2006
Camper Together launches
[1]The brand introduced a collaboration platform for singular products and retail spaces developed with outside partners.
- 2005
Expansion into hospitality
[1]Camper launched Casa Camper in Barcelona and later Berlin, alongside the Dos Palillos restaurant project in Barcelona.
- 1999
United States retail entry
[1]The company opened a store in New York City.
- 1992
European international expansion
[1]Camper opened stores in Paris and Milan.
- 1981
First Camper store opens in Barcelona
[1]Camper opened its first branded store in Barcelona.
- 1975
Camper is founded
[1]Lorenzo Fluxà founded Camper as a new footwear brand building on the Fluxà family's Mallorcan shoemaking background.
Products and positioning
Design-led, comfort-oriented casual footwear with Spanish and Mediterranean heritage, positioned above mass-market footwear and differentiated through unusual forms, visual identity, collaborations, and selected lifestyle concepts.
Casual footwear
Pelotas
Pelotas is one of Camper's signature footwear lines and a recognizable expression of the brand's everyday design language. It is associated with a distinctive, highly articulated sole and a casual profile intended for regular urban wear. The line exemplifies Camper's combination of visual individuality, practical comfort, and repeatable product identity.
Collaborative footwear and retail platform · 2006
Camper Together
Camper Together is a collaboration platform launched in 2006. Rather than representing one fixed shoe model, it brings Camper together with external designers, artists, architects, and brand partners to create special footwear and distinctive store environments. The program is central to Camper's strategy of using collaboration to produce products and spaces with individual creative identities.
Experimental footwear line
CamperLab
CamperLab is Camper's more experimental design platform. It provides a setting for less conventional silhouettes, materials, and creative direction than the main collection. The appointment of Achilles Ion Gabriel as creative director in 2019 underscored CamperLab's role as a distinct laboratory for product and design experimentation.
Hospitality concept · 2005
Casa Camper
Casa Camper is a hospitality concept created by Camper in 2005. It began in Barcelona and later expanded to Berlin, extending the brand's approach to design and user experience into hotels rather than footwear alone.
Marketing campaigns
- 201334th America's Cup partnership
International
Camper continued its sponsorship relationship with Emirates Team New Zealand during the 34th America's Cup.
Outcome. Extended Camper's association with high-profile international sailing.
- 2011Volvo Ocean Race partnership with Emirates Team New Zealand
International
Camper became a key sponsorship partner of Emirates Team New Zealand in the Volvo Ocean Race.
Outcome. Expanded the brand's visibility through international sailing sponsorship.
- 2006Camper Together
International
Camper launched a continuing collaboration initiative with external creative and commercial partners. The program produced singular shoes and store concepts and became a core vehicle for design experimentation.
Outcome. Established a long-running collaboration model and strengthened Camper's design-led positioning.
Brand decisions
2019
Appointment of CamperLab creative directorOtherBackground
Camper maintained a separate experimental channel for more unconventional product and design work.
Action taken
The company appointed Achilles Ion Gabriel as creative director of CamperLab.
Aftermath
The appointment reinforced CamperLab's role as a distinct experimental expression of the brand.
2006
Creation of Camper TogetherStrategyBackground
Camper pursued a more collaborative approach to product design and retail architecture.
Action taken
The company launched Camper Together, inviting outside partners to create distinctive products and stores.
Aftermath
The platform became an important part of Camper's design and collaboration identity.
2005
Diversification into hospitalityStrategyBackground
Camper sought to express its design and lifestyle identity beyond footwear retail.
Action taken
The company launched Casa Camper in Barcelona, later opening another location in Berlin, and developed the Dos Palillos restaurant in Barcelona.
Aftermath
The move broadened Camper's activity into hotels, restaurants, interiors, and branded experiences.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Camper company to liquidate and cancels all orders[3]
Reported:
Yahoo Finance reports that the Camper company is set to liquidate and has cancelled all orders.
Camper appointed Achilles Ion Gabriel global creative director[4]
Reported:
Camper appointed Achilles Ion Gabriel as the brand's new global creative director. He will oversee product design, including CamperLab.
Sources4 sources
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