Nestled in the midst of the stunning mountain ranges and deep forests of Örnsköldsvik in Northern Sweden lies the birthplace of Fjällräven.
With a focus on the environment and an emphasis on maintaining a deep relationship with nature, Fjällräven has been blazing a trail for sustainable products for over half a century.
The materials they choose and develop have set the standard in the outdoor industry, from organic cotton that forgoes the use of toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilisers to fully traceable wool from carefully selected farms.
There’s also their innovative and forward-thinking down promise and a commitment to producing cruelty-free down with no live-plucking. While their recycled polyester makes use of plastic PET bottles, reducing their use of materials from non-renewable sources.
Creating some serious clobber that’s stylish, sustainable, and durable is no mean feat. Whether you spend your free time exploring the great outdoors or simply need some comfortable protection from the harsh British Winter weather, we urge you take some consideration to the type of product you buy and the consequences thereof.
If anyone knows a thing or two about the kind of suitable clothing that’s required for a journey into the unknown, it’s former Royal Marine Aldo Kane.
And, with his own experiences of far-flung environments and understanding of the requirements for the harshest terrains added to serious knowledge on the impact of unsustainable practices, he was the perfect choice to test out Fjällräven’s latest kit.
Currently appearing on our screens with the hugely successful Expedition with Steve Backshall on Dave, they’ve been investigating some of the most rugged and challenging landscapes on earth to discover never before seen wildlife, people and territories.
We took Aldo off the beaten path with Fjällräven’s trekking range in hand and got his take on why we should all be aware of the importance of a sustainable approach.
“To be honest most of the stuff that I use is amazing kit. Like everything from Fjällräven. For example, I’ve worn a pair of their trousers now, the same pair for three years. They’ve been in and out of umpteen volcanoes, they’ve been to the ends of the earth and back again and generally speaking they’re pretty decent and in good nick.”
“Steve [Backshall] and I have travelled a lot over the last three years together. And we see a huge amount of devastation in areas that we’re going to. Whether that’s illegal mining, or whether it’s logging, whatever it is that’s causing the devastation and deforestation. In a lot of cases the people that are doing these things are doing it because they don’t have any other option. So it kind of opens your eyes up to the other side of it and the economies that are working from that.”
“Some of these environments are super fragile, like those inside caves, you have to make sure that everything that goes in gets taken out with you and there’s no litter of any kind left in there and that sort of thing.”
“I’m putting my kit through the ringer and it needs to last because firstly it’s a pain in the arse having to buy stuff all the time and also it’s that sustainability factor where you’re not throwing away kit every couple of weeks because you’ve been on one expedition. It’s the old adage of, you buy cheap, you buy twice.”
Photography by Simon J Evans and Art Direction by Natalie Abram
Catch Aldo on Expedition with Steve Backshall, Sunday Night at 8pm on Dave
You can find out more information on Fjällräven and their sustainable approach and check out their whole range HERE
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