Founder Peter Jebsen | ||
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Dale of Norway is a Norwegian company that manufactures clothing, predominantly wool sweaters and outdoor jackets. They are well known for their Lusekofte sweaters. The company is currently headquartered in the small village of Dale in Hordaland county, Norway. This village is about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of the city of Bergen in Western Norway. The company also has a subsidiary in Shelburne, Vermont in the United States. The company has also been an official supplier of sweaters for the Norwegian ski team and the Winter Olympics since 1956.
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Timeline
Company information
Dale of Norway has been producing woolen products since 1879. Today, Dale of Norway employs 333 people and generates yearly net sales of US$130,856,000.
Products
Though Dale of Norway is probably best known for their lusekofte sweaters, they also produce and sell a wide variety of products. The company offers the traditional wool ski sweater for men, women, and children. Typically, many of the sweaters are labeled “unisex”. Dale of Norway also makes shirts, hats, scarves, gloves and leggings; most of which are knitted of wool but some are made of cotton as well. The company also sells the yarn that their sweaters are made of.
In 2008, Dale of Norway designed a sweater to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Norwegian Ski Association. The new design is based on traditional Norwegian designs combined with more contemporary colors and fits. Like most Dale of Norway sweaters, the 100th anniversary sweater is manufactures in sizes from 3 months for children to XXL for adults.
Process
Dale of Norway makes its products primarily by hand. The company's scouring line is one of only two in Norway and one of few in the world. Scouring removes dirt and shorter fibers from the wool, creating a higher quality product. The wool is then stretched on the worsted line. This process makes the wool less susceptible to fraying and other damage and also brightens the colors.
The wool is then spun into single lines of yarn which are put out to rest for a few days. Different numbers of single threads can then be spun together to create different thicknesses in the yarn. Most of Dale of Norway’s yarn is a 4-ply thickness, but 2 and 3-ply yarn is also available. The yarn is then dyed and hung and dried in high frequency driers.
After the drying process, the yarn is ready for knitting. Each product can be knitted to a different thickness by using a different gauge on the knitting machine. Then, each of the pieces are put together using techniques such as circular linking, which is connecting the loops one by one so they appear to be together. This is done to keep the product durable, but without losing its shape.
Involvement in the Olympics
Since 1956, Dale of Norway has been involved in making licensed sweaters for the Olympic ski teams of Norway. The first sweater was made for the Olympic Games of 1956 that were held in Cortina, Italy. Since then, each Olympic season a special sweater is made. In 2002, Dale of Norway created one for the United States ski team in the Salt Lake City Olympics. This sweater was the thirteenth sweater that was made in honor of the games. Often these sweaters are considered collector’s items.
Dale of Norway designed an official sweater for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, B.C.