Scan Magazine | Design | Made in Norway
Creating prize-winning wool textiles Even with clients including the NSB rail and bus transport group, architecture firm Snøhetta, the King of Saudi Arabia and Louis Vuitton, many have never heard of Gudbrandsdalen Uldvarefabrik (GU) – one of the leading wool textile producers in Scandinavia. It is about time they do. By Maria Lanza Knudsen | Photos: Gudbrandsdalen Uldvarefabrik
130 years of textile production have honed GU’s expertise, creating a modern and design-conscious producer of quality textiles. “As the oldest mill in Norway, the factory is built on strong traditions,” says marketing director Margrethe Kielland, “but we wish to remain innovative.” Today, the company is inventive in style as well as production, being one of the most environmentally friendly companies in Norway. Textile production is a competitive sector globally, but the secret to GU’s success lies in its unrelenting focus on quality. Additionally, few factories have the entire production in-house. GU does, ensuring quality control across the entire process. The high level of expertise is also the result of many employees – textile engineers, specialists and designers – having worked for the company for their entire career. GU’s 80 employees spin, 18 | Issue 83 | December 2015
weave, colour, wash and finally gloss the textiles before shipping to their numerous clients in Norway and abroad. The most popular textile is Hallingdal, designed by the ‘The Grand Old Lady of Danish Design’, Nanna Ditzel, in 1965. Over 300,000 metres of the fabric are sold annually. In total, over 5.5 million metres have been sold, enough to build a bridge across the Atlantic from London to New York. When Louis Vuitton called to place an order, it came as a surprise to GU that Louis Vuitton’s creative director had chosen the blue Prinsdal textile to recreate legendary French furniture designer Pierre Paulin’s 18 futuristic sofa designs from the 1960s. In January, Wallpaper* magazine chose a picture of the sofa, made with GU’s textiles, for its cover.
GU hit the spotlight again when Dezeen, the reputable online architecture and design magazine, singled out designer StokkeAustad’s acoustic panels, Patch, using GU’s textiles. Meanwhile, in August, GU was the proud receiver of the Manufacturer of the Year award by design magazine Bo Bedre. With an unrelenting focus on quality and original design, we can expect more recognition and prizes for GU in the future.
For more information, please visit: www.gu.no