Founded in 1960 in the Swedish town of Örnsköldsvik, Fjallraven began its journey as a problem-solving brand, like many of those burgeoning outdoor institutions of the day. Ten years earlier, young Ake Nordin was aged just 14, and found himself wondering if he could develop a more comfortable backpack than what was available to him at the time. And so began the story of Fjallraven.
While the world has changed immeasurably since a youthful Nordin began the brand, Fjallraven itself is steadfast in its core mission. They continue to innovate, and their roots remain very much in the outdoor environments that helped launch them. The popularity of genuine outdoor brands has never been greater than it is now. The pandemic and a shift towards nature has seen fashion embrace the wilderness like never before.
Beyond its traditional environs, Fjallraven found a niche in fashion that began to grow organically more than 20 years ago. Now an established contender alongside familiar faces like The North Face and Patagonia, the Arctic Fox enjoys popularity away from its traditional core consumer.
Despite this, the brand remains as true as ever to its roots. Make no mistake, while the distinctive circular logo has become more and more prominent away from the trees and mountains, this is a brand with its feet firmly planted in nature.
As part of its commitment to celebrate this provenance, the brand hosts the Fjallraven Polar, an immersive expedition that takes in all the most inhospitable elements the Arctic can throw at those involved.
As huge fans and indeed friends of Fjallraven, we here at The Sporting lodge were delighted to find ourselves offered a much-coveted space on Fjallraven’s ‘A Taste Of Polar.’
Our own Buyer, Tom Jacques-Milner has just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip, which brought together 20 people from across the globe for a 90km dog sledding experience across the arctic tundra. For three days, the participants drove their own dog sled across the vast landscapes of northern Scandinavia, experiencing a world completely different from their own. On his back Tom had everything he needed for the 28-hour journey, ahead of Tom was his own pack of sled dogs, doing the heavy lifting both literally and metaphorically.
We’ll be documenting Tom’s journey this week and in doing so, showing you a side of Fjallraven few customers are likely to experience first-hand. This is what sets the old hands of Sweden apart and keeps them at the forefront of the outdoor lifestyle, trend, or no trend.