Scan Magazine
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Made in Sweden
Gloves for every adventure, since 1936 Hestra Gloves is one of the world’s most respected manufacturers of alpine, outdoor and functional gloves with over two million pairs produced per year. The brand’s gloves are favoured by skiers, mountain bikers and hikers, as well as professional workers and fashionistas, for their premium quality, functionality and longevity. By Malin Norman
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Photos: Hestra Gloves
Swedish brand Hestra Gloves dates back to 1936, when farmer Martin Magnusson started manufacturing strong leather gloves for lumberjacks in the small town of Hestra in Småland, a region known for its entrepreneurial spirit. Shortly after, a slalom slope opened in the village and Hestra quickly grew in popularity among skiers. The clever entrepreneur realized that there was a big market for ski gloves, and this was the beginning of the company’s success story. More than 80 years on, with five factories and worldwide distribution in over 40 countries, Hestra is still a family-owned 58 |
Issue 156
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July 2023
business. “Our heritage is important to us and we are still characterized by our entrepreneurial history and setting,” says
Anton Magnusson, the company’s CEO and the fourth generation of glove makers. “Having a passion for what you do is important in order to develop and constantly improve, and our focus remains solely on gloves – designing and crafting high-quality gloves that last for many years.” From lumberjacks to Ingemar Stenmark In the beginning, Hestra’s main focus was on providing gloves for the Swedish market and Scandinavia. In the 1980s, the international expansion began with the export of the range of premium gloves within Europe and across the world. The big breakthrough came with the high-profile collaboration with legend Ingemar Stenmark, the most successful Alpine skier of all time, in the 1970s. He wore the famous Stenmark glove (Stenmarkshandsken) when he won the World Cup in Madonna di Campiglio in