Fjällräven

Fjällräven was born out of one man’s vision: a vision to make nature accessible to more people.

Åke Nordin was born in Örnsköldsvik, on Sweden’s High Coast, in 1936. Combining rolling hills, deep forests and sheltered coastline it was the perfect playground for a young, curious Åke. And it was on one of his many adventures that the seed for Fjällräven was planted, deep in Åke’s mind. The idea arose out of necessity: to create a backpack that swallowed up gear, but sat comfortably on his back. Åke knew there must be a way. With his mother’s sewing machine and his father’s tools, Åke created a wooden-framed backpack in his basement. And with it, the seed was sown. 10 years later, in 1960, in that same basement, Åke founded Fjällräven and launched his first product for sale. Guess what is was? Yep, a backpack; this time with an aluminium frame. During the 1960s and 70s, fuelled by Åke’s stubborn belief that there must always be a way – a practical solution –the Fjällräven product range expanded significantly, with tents, sleeping bags, jackets and trousers. The Greenland Jacket, the Expedition Down Jacket and the Kånken backpack proved to be defining products. Virtually every other Swede, from avid trekker to enthusiastic nature lover, wore and trusted Fjällräven. Photo credit: Fjällräven