The TRUTH About Fjällräven (part 1)

Many people know Fjällräven from the ever-so-popular Kånken backpack. However, as a pioneer in the outdoor clothing industry, their legacy goes way beyond that iconic accessory. Join us as we uncover how this brand got to where its at today!

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Script: Holly Maley
Editor: Reid Valaitis Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand

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[tedforsstromjacobsson]

As a Swede, who's spent A LOT of time outdoors, lives in a city literally 40 minutes from the mountains and who's actually known people working sat Fjällräven ( [Fjellræven] kinda, to you guys), I can cosign pretty much everything here. They have spoken up about things other than the Arctic foxes for decades before sustainability was trendy but I don't think anyone knows exactly what their practices are today.

Also; before Fjällräven was poppin everywhere it's rumored to have been huge in Japan, South Korea and so on. And then it exploded even more here which travelled and is now ridiculously big in western societies.
A bunch of other Swedish outdoor brands that make awesome stuff, some of who REALLY seem to care about the planet, are seemingly starting to make similar journeys. Klättermusen is tiny but amazing and they're getting into a lot of the "nicer" streetwear boutiques. Haglöfs does amazing product and they're getting big in the mainstream in Scandinavia. Lundhags is kinda similar to Fjällräven in their aesthetics and are like the stamp of approval for outdoorsy nerds. Houdini does really pretty, sustainable and hardcore adventurous gear and they're basically the Arcteryx over here.

There are likely many more that I couldn't think of off the top but I think it could be interesting for you guys just as a phenomenon. Many are founded, developed/ designed or "inspired by" either Jämtland or Lappland and that seems to attract many people over here.
And I'm guessing Norway and Finland have similar stories with brands like Norröna etc.
Just a thought.

[crunk_lean]

Pronouncing it like "Fjollruhven" instead of "Fjehllrheven" makes it sound like "Fjollröven" which in Swedish means "The sissy ass" instead of "Arctic fox". Swedish is hard.

[sebastianholstesn]

As a Scandinavian, listening to an American trying to pronounce swedish words stings in my ears
Good video though

[Blastsniper]

For us in Finland, Sweden is the 'USA of Scandinavia". While Norway is Canada, and Estonia is basically Mexico.

[Phalaenopsisify]

Nice video! As a Swede I'm of course partial to our own brands. But we aren't perfect, conveniently our emissions which take place outside of our borders aren't taken into consideration when measuring said emissions. For example if I were to buy a jacket which isn't made in Sweden, well, my emissions aren't counted. This makes Sweden look better than we are. Oh, and his name is Åke, not Ake, huge difference :)

[thomaswarner]

With a name like “Hildebrand”, it’s perculiar that Levi can’t pronounce normal Scandinavian words 😅

[jaredwark]

In a few of your videos now you mention B Corps (mostly in relation to Patagonia, of course haha). I’d love to see you do a bit of a deep dive into just how much that independent certification matters—I.e. what it means and what it doesn’t mean but that people might expect.

[bobkare]

It is very American to ask for typical American certifications. I have worked in the USA for 15 years, and I am working in Scandinavia now. Trust me. A Swedish company treats its workers way better. What is considered amazing in the USA, is barely minimum in Scandinavia. I understand this is an American channel, but Scandinavian countries treat their employees better by default. You do not need to brag with a certification to do that. (And yes I have worked with certifications of companies)

[deborahjames]

Didn't recognize the brand, but my son is an "adventurer" so I will be following this series to see if this would be a good choice for gifts for him!

[GrantAmann]

Been waiting for this one for awhile. Literally this is one of the best channels on youtube, certainly one of the most deserving of 1mil subs. every single video is an instant classic.

[Xzor]

I love my Fjallraven Nuuk Parka... heavy AF but it's the type of thing you'd want to be wearing in a snowstorm during a zombie apocalypse.

[slushpuppii]

Love the brand, originally bought the Kanken for my daughter to use at school but turned out to be to small. She now uses it as her ice skating bag.

[heyitsaamirj]

I'm really enjoying this channel. Nice work on the videos - the right combination of entertaining and informative.

[felixbechtoldt]

Your writers are doing a great job matching your personality and style Levi!

[charlotteneville]

When I moved to a cold part of canada this was the brand with the only really high quality parka I could find that didn't have down or fur (even without the animal issues, I'm allergic to that stuff!). I used my excessively expensive parka about 6 months a year for the 5 years I lived in cold climates- it is still in perfect condition. I'm sorry to hear that there are questions about the legitimacy of their claims, but I do think a well made piece of clothing that lasts many years will almost always be a sustainability win.

[BritishRacingGreen]

One of my favourite brands. I love their style and quality. Despite what people think, Fjallraven isn't all that expensive. Price wise, similar to Patagonia. A lot of my outdoor stuff is from Scandinavian brands. They make good kit.

[connorstrang]

Very fair points. I am in fact stoked you're doing a series on Fjallraven, as I am one of the folks that has been talking about it on the reddit for some time now. Great work!

[heyyitsandy]

I’m a big fan of the Raven, especially their Keb series of mountaineering gear…. I honestly feel like they are leaps and bounds ahead of any competition when it comes to materials and thoughtful construction design. G1000 where you need it, lighter weight flexible materials elsewhere.

In all honesty though, the little fox logo is so cool - and one of the biggest reasons I love their stuff 😭😭😭

[LithuaniaExplained]

Thanks for making this! Can’t wait to see the next videos in this series!!

[singmiracles]

Thank you for this!
I had always been curious about them.
Had never heard of the Sami people, sent me down a rabbit hole! haha
Great work, looking forward to parts 2 and 3. 🙏