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Gloves since 1936

Hestra was founded in 1936 by Martin Magnusson, who made gloves for local lumberjacks in Hestra, Sweden. Decades later, the business is run by the fourth generation Magnussons, and the commitment to make long-lasting gloves is as strong as ever.

When Hestra was founded in the 1930s, it supported the needs of a single family in the small village of Hestra in Sweden. Today Hestra provides employment for hundreds of women and men across the world, supporting the needs of their families. In fact, the feeling of being one family remains among our colleagues, with many employees staying with the company for decades.

Our colleagues at Hestra come together to design, manufacture and sell high-quality gloves. Over generations, we have enhanced our glove-making skills, but we are still striving to refine our processes and products. It is all about finding the right balance between materials, construction, production alternatives and marketing to provide the best products to our customers.

From our factory in Hungary

From Hestra headquarters

Many small steps add up to great distances over time.

Hestra’s success lies in our focus on the purpose of the products, ensuring the desired functionality and durability. This strength and resilience is in fact also our greatest contribution to the environment and climate, reducing the need for products that need to be replaced every season and therefore the manufacture of new materials. Our assortment of replaceable liners further extends the gloves’ lifetime, as well as their functionality.

We keep reassessing and reviewing our products, finetuning details of models that are carried over from previous seasons, as well as making small adjustments to processes to improve our operations. Many small steps add up to great distances over time. Owning the factories where our products are made is a part of this approach. It provides us with insight into the manufacturing and enables us to identify and solve potential issues as they arise. It also allows us to instill our values of quality and sustainability in the manufacturing processes.

We make decisions that we know will benefit Hestra and our stakeholders in the longer term. The commitment builds trust with our, often longstanding, customers and suppliers. This has proven particularly important throughout the Covid pandemic and aids us in facing the challenges of the current uncertain market conditions.

Our commitment to build a solid company for future generations gives us a long-term approach to business, where we make decisions that are financially and ethically sound while honouring our brand and its legacy.

Read the full report here.