Where is fjallraven made

The five floors of the main building are buzzing with activity. There are tents everywhere. People are sewing, testing, cutting, clipping, checking and pitching tents all over the place. Man tells us how important knowledge and experience are — to gather people who have been working with tents for a long time, who know exactly what they are doing. Who know about materials, sustainability and construction.

On the walls there are different prizes and best-in-test awards from magazines like Outside and Backpacker. Yes, China is still an achingly efficient country to produce in. After China, we head for South Korea. The DAC factory on the outskirts of Seoul feels more like the home of an eccentric art millionaire from California, than a high-tech aluminium factory for the outdoor industry. For me, the key to success is not about earning money.

And if my workers are healthy and happy, then we will make money. Not the other way around. South Korea is an industrial miracle that is perhaps still in the shadow of its northern neighbour, but since the war it has developed into a slick, highly-functioning economy with companies like Samsung, LG, Lotte and Kia leading the way; churning out trend-setting technology at a staggering rate.

The old Scandinavian confidence takes a hit when you see just how far behind South Korea we are in many respects. At times we have focused more on the products, while other times our attention was more on their history and the reasons behind their popularity. As we mentioned in the beginning, there is a reason why outdoor clothing brands become popular, and it mainly comes down to the performance of their products and their quality.

A versatile and widely-used fabric in their products, the G Materials provide outdoor protection against the elements and environmental conditions. We looked at them quite in-depth last week and highly advise you to check that piece out if you want to learn more. These are very durable and long-lasting fabrics , which is one of the reasons that the price tag is not the most buyer-friendly.

Down is rarely cheap and when it is, you can rest assured that something is missing. Another fabric that bears mentioning is the Eco-Shell , an environmentally-friendly material made from recycled polyester and designed to be lightweight and weather-resistant. Lastly, the manufacturing process , which takes place primarily in China and South Korea , is meticulously done and takes place in facilities where the security and well-being of workers is the highest priority.

Well, aside from the quality of their jackets, their comfort and considerable durability , a key factor in the popularity of this brand is its endorsement in the outdoor community , in particular that of Sweden. What makes these jackets so popular is their warmth in the Swedish winter and exceptional comfort. They are comfortable to carry , last for a very long time and retain their shape very well for years.

However, in our opinion, the main reason behind the popularity of their backpacks is their innovative designs. Their designs may not be too out there, for lack of a better term, but their minimalistic style, yet great performance are hard to match by other low-price brands and designs. Their interesting sizes are another factor behind their popularity. The overall consensus is that the brand makes great quality products , and their outdoor gear are very high-performance and last for a really long time.

It depends by what one would consider overpriced. Though great for bags, it is hard to imagine what trousers made from this fairly stiff material would feel like. The use of Vinylon F makes the Kanken amazingly light, much more so than most other backpacks giving you an advantage before you fill it up. It also becomes more durable with time and softens as it ages so maybe the trousers would be ok.

The trademark rectangular shape means it fits A4 books , files and laptops in easily unlike bags which narrow at the top. Not mentioning any other brands here! The zips go all the way around and allow you to open it up like a suitcase. This makes it by far the easiest of bags to locate stuff in. They take their green credentials very seriously and whilst their products are not the cheapest, they are made to last and created with as little environmental impact as possible.

And on the subject, they have recently launched the Rekanken which uses recycled materials. New special editions versions of the Kanken have been released with different webbing straps to celebrate and here at Bureau we have managed to get a few of the black versions with their Pippi Longstocking stripy straps.

Click here to buy the Kanken backpack. Vinylon is the national fiber of North Korea and is used for the majority of textiles. Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.