Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe's story begins in 1946 in Gällstad, a small village considered the cradle of Swedish textiles. Europe was emerging from the war, resources were limited, but Martin Göthager nevertheless decided to create his knitting workshop.
To buy his first machines, he took a major risk: he mortgaged his house. The machines were installed upstairs, while his wife Ragnhild sewed the clothes. Their home became simultaneously a family home and a production workshop—a business built literally from the living room.
The first garments were sold under the name Gällstads Ylle , with a strict constraint: to create pieces adapted to the available yarns, while remaining fashionable. The founder's technical expertise and business acumen enabled the company to weather this period of scarcity.
When the brand later shifted its focus to sportswear, it adopted the name Ivanhoe, chosen for its more international appeal. In the 1970s and 1980s, ski sweaters became iconic and permanently shaped the brand's identity.
The company was then run by the founder's three sons for nearly forty years, before being taken over today by the third generation – Anders, Anna, and Karin. Despite the evolution of the collections and their uses, one principle has remained unchanged since the beginning: working with wool and natural materials to create functional, durable clothing designed to accompany both everyday life and outdoor activities.
More than 75 years after its creation, a large part of the knitwear is still produced in the historic factory in Gällstad, maintaining the direct link between place, know-how and finished product.