Editor’s note: This article is a part of the Heritage content series, sponsored by Fjällräven. The article was originally published on the Fjällräven blog.
When Fjällräven was founded in 1960, it was with an aluminum-framed backpack. But it was eight years later that things really started picking up momentum. In 1968 Fjällräven founder Åke Nordin released the Greenland Jacket. It was made from his new G-1000 material and waxed to offer water- and wind-resistance with his specially created Greenland Wax. And this jacket, along with G-1000 and Greenland Wax, went onto become a timeless icon – a few of the original jackets are still around.
From time to time we hear from some early Greenland Jacket owners. Wilhelmina Schedin and Martin Shelley are two of them.
Wilhelmina Schedin in her Greenland Jacket from 1976.
Wilhelmina bought her Greenland Jacket in 1976, when she was in her twenties, together with a Fjällräven backpack. The jacket was well loved and well used for many years until Wilhelmina bought a new Greenland Jacket in 2011. Although she still has the original jacket.
“I had so many outdoor adventures in my old Greenland jacket. Over the years it got worn out but I’ve mended it several times. I saved the jacket, because of all the wonderful memories. This jacket is a treasure for me,” said Wilhelmina.
Martin Shelley, outside Bath Abbey after completing the UK’s Cotswolds Way in 1981, complete with his Greenland Jacket and Fjällräven backpack.
Martin purchased not one, but two Greenland Jackets in 1980 after a recommendation from a friend of his fathers. “I originally purchased the jackets for a backpacking trip to the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales, but they’ve given me many years of service since then. I finally bought two further Greenland Jackets, which I used on a regular basis. I’d be lost without them. They’re the best outdoor kit I’ve ever purchased.”
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