Strong and Sustainable Growth for Isbjörn of Sweden
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
Premium, technical and truly sustainable outdoor kidswear brand, Isbjörn of Sweden, has shown financial resilience despite the pandemic, reporting strong growth throughout 2020 and momentum already building for 2021.
The company has grown 20% vs the same period in 2019, with a forecasted 30% growth expected in 2021. Isbjörn’s webshop, which was recently launched in North America for the first time, has also grown by a staggering 150% year on year in 2020. The webshop’s innovative AI chatbot Bernard managed to reduce online returns by 50% when launched in October last year. This has proven to be a very fruitful investment, as well as a hub from which to build further digital innovation.
Strongly believing in the longevity of its highly durable, yet sustainable, range of outdoor clothing and accessories for children of all ages, Isbjörn’s key growth markets include Scandinavia, GAS region and North America. The company’s product range and green heritage brand DNA is in exact alignment with current and future outdoor market needs.
Maria Frykman, Founder and CEO: “Our latest figures may come as a surprise in these peculiar times, but I would say it makes perfect sense. When we launched this brand 15 years ago, no-one even knew about sustainable technical outdoor wear for kids. It was literally a non-existent market, even in Scandinavia which is known to be a greenhouse for outdoor products and brands – we really chose the uphill! In retrospect you can say that we were a little ahead of our time. But persistence prevails and now, with the climate crisis truly knocking on the door and the pandemic on top of that, no one has missed the message. We need to take care of the planet and spend more time outdoors. It all links together.”
Isbjörn is the first outdoor kidswear brand to become a bluesign® system partner and continues to make its durable clothing range as sustainable as possible, without any compromise on performance of any adult equivalent outdoor gear.
Maria continued: “Our indisputable offering of outstanding durability is our silver bullet. Doubling the lifespan of a garment reduces its impact by half..and counting. Our latest figures show that this Green Promise is what the evermore environmentally aware consumer is looking for. We’re the antidote to fast fashion – maybe one to the slowest brands you’ll find! As well as Europe, we’re starting to create interest in North America and I’m eager to see how the brand develops in the US and Canada throughout 2021 and beyond.”
For further information, please contact Sue Reay at East River PR, Tel: +44 1913759067 or email sue@eastriverpr.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
ISBJÖRN of Sweden was founded in 2005 by Maria Frykman Forsberg and Camilla Schmidt, after they became mothers for the first time and discovered a gap in the market for high quality and comfortable outdoor garments for children. The brand believes that all children are ‘Multisporters by Nature’ and should be allowed enjoy outdoor activities in all weather conditions, while remaining warm, dry and comfortable.
ISBJÖRN of Sweden garments use the most sustainable materials and the company continuously strives to be as environmentally friendly as possible, while still producing long lasting, tough and premium quality garments which emulate adult styles and materials.
The brand is symbolised by the Polar Bear – the toughest animal on the planet.
#slowfashion #durability #truesustainability
