Founded in 1936, the family business Martin Magnusson & Co. is now run by the third generation of Magnussons. They personally buy all the leather, fabric, wool and other materials giving them control of the production chain and ensuring a high level of quality.
Both design and development take place at the headquarters in the small town of Hestra and is done in cooperation with some of the world's best professional skiers and adventurers under the direction of Design director Marianne Knutsson-Hall.
Hands come first at Hestra. For 80 years, they have been developing gloves that provide warmth, protection and fingertip sensitivity in the most varied conditions. Today, the Hestra range comprises more than 400 styles.
Everything that they do today has grown out of the timber forests of the uplands in the Swedish province of Småland. That is where Martin Magnusson and his family settled and where he began making gloves in 1936. Magnusson set up his workshop in a farmhouse and started making gloves for the local lumberjacks.In 1937, a ski slope was created nearby and as its popularity grew, Magnusson saw a new market for his high quality, durable gloves.
In 2021, they produced over 2 million pairs of gloves and today, Hestra has a presence in over 40 countries and, although they now have three factories and manufacture gloves for sports, fashion and professional uses, little has changed. The focus remains on hands and gloves, and Hestra is still their home. The company has about 60 employees at its headquarters in Sweden.
Sustainability is one of Hestra's core values – they make high quality gloves that are highly durable. A long product life reduces the consumption of raw materials and lowers the impact on the environment. Hestra encourage customers to care for their gloves and to replace the liners, not the entire glove when the liners wear out.
In addition to cooperating with the Swedish and Norwegian ski teams, Hestra get ideas, inspiration and knowledge from the Hestra Team Riders - successful, passionate actives who spend a great number of days outdoor. Mike Douglas, The Godfather of Freeskiing sums up why you should make Hestra your fist choice for ski gloves:
"First of all, people need to realize the difference between really good gloves and the rest. Hestra gloves fit well from the first day you wear them and they last much longer than other gloves; It's an investment worth making. Since I only wear Hestra, I focus on fit. Too tight and your fingers can get cold, too loose and you lose dexterity.”
Click here to view the full Hestra Ski Gloves range for both adults & children