In the 1950’s, 14 year-old Ake Nordin from Ornskoldsvik in Northern Sweden spent more time outdoors than indoors. After many long treks in the mountains, Ake decided the backpacks at the time were unsatisfactory and took matters into his own hands by building a wooden frame which helped evenly distribute weight across his back so he could carry more weight with ease. Ake’s innovation quickly caught on and in 1960, Fjallraven became the first to commercially make and distribute framed backpacks.

Fjallraven means Arctic Fox in Swedish, honoring the small and highly adaptable predator that lives in the Swedish mountains under the harshest conditions. From the small town of Ornskoldsvik, Fjallraven has now expanded to every corner in the world. The fundamental ideas remain the same; provide functional, durable, and timeless equipment to make the outdoors more enjoyable for all.

Fjallraven has a corporate social responsibility program called the Arctic Fox Initiative, inspired by the company name and by their first foray into CSR in 1994 when they began funding research to help save the Arctic Fox population in Sweden. The initiative uses money generated from sales and events to support nature conservation projects. As part of their environmental pledge, Fjallraven is also aiming to be completely carbon neutral by 2025.