Camper placed the future of Camper and CamperLab in the hands of Abraham Ortuño, a designer whose work already resonates with young sneakerheads who are witnessing a shift in global footwear.
The Spanish brand announced Thursday that Ortuño will oversee product design and brand communication across both lines. His first collection will be unveiled in early 2027 and released globally in June of that year. For a company founded in Mallorca in 1975, this move feels deliberate rather than flashy.
| 📌 Key Facts |
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| 🏢 Camper was founded in Mallorca, Spain, in 1975. The brand built its identity around Mediterranean comfort and pragmatic design. 👤 Abraham Ortuño is the founder of Abra. The Spanish label, focused on accessories and footwear, launched in 2019. 🔁 He succeeds Achilles Ion Gabriel. Gabriel spent over six years as Creative director. His final collection is Spring 2027. 📅 Ortuño’s debut collection is Fall 2027. It will be unveiled in early 2027 and launched globally in June 2027. 🧵 His collaborations include Jacquemus, JW Anderson, Loewe, and Kenzo. He co-created Anderson’s viral paw-shaped loafer. 🏪 CamperLab opened its first Paris store in March 2025. The label debuted at Paris Men’s Fashion Week in June 2025. 🎯 Ortuño oversees both product design and brand communication. |
Ortuño succeeds Achilles Ion Gabriel, the Finnish-born designer who spent more than six years refining Camper’s visual language. The Spring 2027 collection will be Gabriel’s last. Change at this level often brings turbulence. At Camper, however, it suggests recalibration.
Miguel Fluxà, Camper’s chief executive officer, framed the decision in generational terms. Ortuño, he said, “represents a new generation of creative leadership.”
“His deep understanding of footwear, combined with a strong cultural sensibility and international perspective, makes him the ideal person to guide Camper into its next phase,” Fluxà noted. “We believe his vision will strengthen our design identity while opening new creative territories. We are very excited to start this new chapter together.”
For footwear enthusiasts, Ortuño is not an unknown quantity. Born in Alicante, he built his reputation through Abra, the label he founded in 2019. Previously, he worked behind the scenes with Jacquemus, JW Anderson, Loewe, and Kenzo. If you remember JW Anderson’s paw-shaped loafers and mules that ricocheted across social media, then you have already seen Ortuño’s work.
He operates at the intersection of craft and experimentation, a concept with which footwear culture is quite familiar. Limited releases thrive on novelty, but longevity depends on quality of construction. Camper, long associated with pragmatic Mediterranean design, now seems ready to test the limits of that pragmatism.
“As a Spanish designer, Camper has always represented the pinnacle of our country’s design legacy – a brand that fearlessly balances Mediterranean pragmatism with a profound sense of play,” said Ortuño. “I look forward to honoring that rich archive while introducing a new, subversive energy to both the mainline and CamperLab. We are going to push the boundaries of footwear, blending irony, craftsmanship, and contemporary culture.”
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This promise comes at a pivotal moment. CamperLab recently staged its first runway show during Paris Men’s Fashion Week, presenting footwear alongside ready-to-wear items and accessories. In March 2025, the label also opened a store in the Marais district of Paris, signaling an appetite for deeper engagement with fashion’s capital cities.
Sneakerheads should pay particular attention to CamperLab. The line has served as a testing ground for chunkier soles, exaggerated proportions, and conceptual silhouettes that sit comfortably beside avant-garde sneakers from larger luxury brands. Under Ortuño, expect a clearer vision. His Abra work often carried a sense of wit without sacrificing wearability – a quality that appeals to younger consumers who want statement shoes that can withstand daily wear.
Camper’s strength has always been its technical foundation. The brand understands outsole engineering, comfort, and durability. What it has occasionally lacked is urgency. Ortuño brings cultural fluency shaped by collaborations and a generation raised online. He knows how quickly an image can travel. He also knows that hype without substance fades.
The question is not whether he can design an intriguing sneaker. His résumé answers that. The real test lies in scale. Camper operates globally and has a broad customer base that includes loyalists who value reliability over experimentation. Steering both Camper and CamperLab requires balancing ambition with restraint.
However, restraint does not mean timidity. Young collectors are increasingly drawn to brands that offer authenticity rather than logo saturation. Ortuño’s language of irony and craftsmanship may provide that alternative. If he can translate the intimacy of Abra into Camper’s industrial capacity, the result could reset global expectations for Spanish footwear.