Glove Guide

Martin Magnusson
Founded the company
in 1936 in
Hestra, when he
was 43 years old.
This photo was
taken during a
trip to Stockholm,
in front of the
Royal Palace.
Ingemar Stenmark
The world’s greatest
alpine skier
of his time had his
breakthrough while
wearing gloves
from Hestra. The
blue-yellow gloves
quickly became
a favorite.
at Isaberg. Göte was one of the top
skiers in southern Sweden. Lars-
Olof and Göte understood early on
the demands that quality ski gloves
needed to meet.
It was literally a family business,
where Martin, Anna and their four
children worked together. Lars-Olof
made his first gloves at age 16, and
soon had the help of his younger
brother. The glove factory was even
connected to their house.
Over time, word of the durable
gloves from Hestra spread. The glove
range was broadened, for example,
when five-finger Slalom gloves were
launched in the 1950s. The company
expanded and business contacts
were made abroad. In 1963, after
Martin Magnusson passed away, the
children took over the company.
Lars-Olof had been with Hestra since
he was ten years old. Now, he took
over management of the company,
along with Göte and their brother-inlaw
Lennart Eriksson.
In the mid-1960s, the sport of downhill
skiing began to grow in Sweden,
as well as in many other countries.
The World Cup that started in
1966 evolved into a television
hit. Competitors like Frenchman
Jean-Claude Killy, Karl Schranz of
Austria and Canadian Nancy Greene
became international celebrities.
As dedicated skiers, Lars-Olof
and Göte made sure that the gloves
from Hestra followed suit. For
example, Hestra was among the
first to offer a glove with articulated
fingers, a Japanese innovation from
the early 1970s. Lars-Olof began
collaborating with the Swedish
National Ski Team, where experiences
were exchanged with athletes
and coaches. Hestra began a similar
partnership with the Norwegian National
Ski Team in 1981 and both the
Swedish and Norwegian teams are
still using Hestra gloves today.
The big leap forward in Swedish
alpine skiing came with Ingemar
Stenmark. He won his first World
Cup race in December 1974. This was
followed by a magical decade, where
Ingemar was the world’s foremost ski
racer and Sweden received hundreds
of thousands of new skiers.
In neighboring countries the “stenmark
effect” was also felt – even if
the people there were not cheering
quite as enthusiastically in front of
the television as in Sweden.
It was a “stenmark effect” even
for Hestra. When Ingemar got ready
in the starting box, his blue and
yellow gloves with the former Hestra
logo were clearly visible. All young
racers wanted this model. Hestra
also sought to meet the needs of
new skiers by making quality gloves
not only for the elite, but also for
those who went on a ski vacation
for a week or two every year. The
company now developed into the
leading glove manufacturer in the
Nordic countries.
Lars-Olof’s two sons, Svante and Claes
Magnusson joined the company in
the 1980s. Just as their father, Svante
and Claes had spent much time in the
Hestra offices as children and also
between the slalom gates on Isaberg.
The brothers benefited greatly from
their long experience with gloves,
skiing and outdoor activities. Svante
and Claes-designed new glove models.
Some of them became popular and
are still available in modified versions
today. Materials such as Gore-Tex
and Windstopper started being used.
And Hestra began making gloves for
Lars-Olof Magnusson
Born in 1925 and
made his first glove
at age 16. He is
still active in the
company and even
in the cross-country
ski tracks around
Hestra.
Design and
development
Marianne Knutsson-
Hall is responsible
for Hestra’s design
work, in consultation
with Claes and
Svante Magnusson.
Photo: Gösta Fries
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