I say heritage, I mean heritage! Hestra have been making gloves since 1936 and is named after the Swedish town where the company was founded and is still run by a 3rd generation family member who still handles all manufacturing and material sourcing. Made from 100% deerskin with a 100% wool lining, Hestra haven’t held back on these gloves either, applying their mastership to create a super high-end glove with simplistic styling.
Contrast stitching adds a bit of colour-pop to the gloves which come in a really nice Tan or Yellow and a classic Black. Added detail such as the embossed collaborative branding on the wrist and the Norse tab that we have all become oh so familiar with are both nice touches. For those that know the Norse tab well, you may be shocked to see that their usual slogan of “Created to improve life. Good for all seasons.” has been replaced with “A product of the cold cold north.” ...Ice. Cold. Cool.
This collaboration highlights yet another product moving towards the macro trend of the 'resurgence of traditionalism and heritage' which I have been following since the start of the year, right back to my study of Birmingham where I was inspired by the shop window of Gieves & Hawkes. The simplicity and quality of these gloves stays true to the essence and tradition of Scandinavian workwear brands, where the region is pretty much in a league of its own.
Over the last few years I have noticed the influx of Scandinavian brands such as Norse Projects, Humor, Fjoar Raven etc. growing in popularity within menswear fashion. I beleive that this is because they offer more transparency and less myth/mystery around the brand in terms of design inspiration and the essence i.e. Norse Projects has been born out of the admiration of strong, robust and practical Norweigen workwear aesthetics - similar to that of Nigel Cabourn or Barbour in terms of British brands. There is slowly a cultural shift moving from big names and brash logo's towards an appeal of the crafted, functional and niche clothing brands (just look at how 'cool' has shifted towards the introvert and 'geek'!) Expect to see more lesser known brands coming to the limelight and mainstream as a result of the current 'Conviviality Culture', which I will explain further in a later post.
For now though...
Grab a pair of these winter warmers from Goodhood from £60 a pair.
