Our history

Once upon a time

In 1925, Fristads’ founder John Magnuson started manufacturing workwear in the village of Fristad just outside Borås, Sweden. At a time when workwear was unavailable in Sweden but industrialisation was blooming, Magnuson saw the possibility of entering a yet unexploited market.

When his attempt to import garments from America foundered, Magnuson came up with the idea of manufacturing workwear himself. By 1929, Fristads was the first company in Sweden to make jeans and it was also the first company to offer an entire range of workwear, including trousers, bib’n’braces coveralls, blouses and coats.  

fristads woekwear sweden

By designing in-house and employing skilled seamstresses from local farms, thousands of garments were swiftly made and sold across Sweden. The garments quickly grew in popularity among dockers, bricklayers, carpenters, painters and other professional craftsmen. In time, demand outstripped supply, leading to the acquisition of another factory, subsidiaries in other cities and the purchase of Fristads’ own weaving mill. The growth continued and by the late 20th century, Fristads was Sweden’s largest workwear manufacturer.

fristads woekwear sweden

By designing in-house and employing skilled seamstresses from local farms, thousands of garments were swiftly made and sold across Sweden. The garments quickly grew in popularity among dockers, bricklayers, carpenters, painters and other professional craftsmen. In time, demand outstripped supply, leading to the acquisition of another factory, subsidiaries in other cities and the purchase of Fristads’ own weaving mill. The growth continued and by the late 20th century, Fristads was Sweden’s largest workwear manufacturer.

Tradition of innovation

In the 1940s, John Magnusson developed a material that he decided to call FAS®, an exceptionally dense and durable cotton weave well suited for workwear, and our classic FAS® cotton has stood the test of time. At the same time, Fristads’ product offering has evolved along with technological advancements in the industry. Using innovative materials and processes, we have continuously adapted our collections to meet modern users’ need for superior comfort, great fit and contemporary style.  

And our longstanding tradition of innovation lives on. In 2019, Fristads became the first company in the world to develop an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for clothes, and that same year we launched our first environmentally declared workwear. Thanks to the EPD, the environmental impact of a garment can be measured and minimised in every step of the value chain.

The story continues

Between 2012 and 2017 Fristads and Kansas merged under one brand, Fristads Kansas, uniting immense expertise and experience under one roof. Since 2017 Fristads is again a separate brand while Kansas lives on as our brand in Denmark and Germany. In 2021, we wrote a new chapter in our corporate history as Hultafors Group acquired Fristads, as well as our sister brands Kansas and Leijona, from Fristads Kansas Group. Fristads, Kansas and Leijona now operate as a stand-alone unit within Hultafors Group, which in turn is owned by Investment AB Latour. Hultafors Group is one of Europe’s largest companies to supply workwear, footwear, head protection, hand tools, tool carriers and ladders for professional users. Together with Hultafors Group, we have the strongest Personal Protection Equipment offering in Europe and North America.