Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Made in Norway
Scandinavian leather luxury Børgefjell Skinn has a fairy tale-like beginning, which took place in the countryside of Røyrvik, Nord-Trønderlag. A group of thrifty women wanted to make use of the moose leather left over from the hunting season, and in 1988 the endeavour grew to become a fully-fledged business. Under the patronage of new ownership and direction, the rapidly expanding business shows no signs of stopping. By Pernille Johnsen | Photos: J. Bernard O’Sullivan
The proprietorship was originally owned by Hellandsjø Skinn. Fast forward to 2015: Børgefjell identified huge potential and an increasing supply and demand evident in the enterprise, bought it and has been expanding it ever since with no signs of slowing down. The product line consists of mittens for barbecue and winter purposes, aprons, slippers and bags. The design is sharp, clean and exclusive and boasts strong ties to Scandinavian design traditions. Jan Bernard O’Sullivan, general manager and chief designer, places particular 52 | Issue 91 | August 2016
emphasis on durability and high quality in each individual product as well as the overall production process.
Scandinavian through and through The tannery procedure, taking place in Finland at Europe’s largest and most well-established tannery, is copyrighted as one of the pioneering methods of making leather washable and safe for laundry purposes. All products are safe to wash at 30 degrees and all products are hypoallergenic, sensitive to the skin and designed for all ages, even babies. The popular slippers and mittens come in two
types of leather, smooth and suede, and a range of sizes for children aged one and up to adult sizes. The leather arrives coloured and clean at Børgefjell’s headquarters, where O’Sullivan brings his design ideas to the drawing board and, along with the production employees, decides on which designs to implement and subsequently produce. The Scandinavian features run through the entire production process as the leather comes from the Nordic countries while the sheep’s wool is 100 per cent Norwegian. Børgefjell sponsored Team Kvilaas at Finnmarksløpet, Europe’s toughest dog-sledding race, with new mittens from the product line ‘Performance’, which is designed for extreme outdoor conditions. The feedback was unanimously positive. The mitten