Røros Tweed is proud of its roots. They run deep into the 18th century, when, in the copper mining town of Røros, high in the hills of Trøndelag, a mine director bequeathed his fortune to a foundation offering practical education to the poor. He would provide local wool – then buy back from the weavers the products they made. After 150 years of handcraft and textile production, in 1940, a sales outlet was launched to sell these handmade textiles. They called it Røros Tweed.

“There’s a serious amount of history in the company”, Røros Tweed’s new creative director, Thomas Frodahl, tells Localfolk, describing how the brand is still based in the same factories, using the same wool from the same mountain sheep, even after 80 years. “I’ve been working in the fashion industry for 25 years and you’ll never find a brand that’s more authentic or genuine. Everything that the biggest brands are aiming for now – local production, direct relationships with producers and farmers – Røros Tweed has been doing forever.”

Røros’s brand is built on its commitment to a single material: the wool from Norwegian mountain sheep, or what Thomas calls “white gold”. “Usually, Norwegian farmers focus on cultivating sheep for food, with the wool being this underused commodity”, he explains. “But the material is exceptional. Thanks to the Norwegian climate, the wool we use is much thicker, more twisted, and shinier than other wools from around the world. This local wool is embedded in our history and our products – and, luckily for us, we have the best wool that Norway can offer!”.

While the family-owned company is rooted in tradition, there have been some big changes in recent years. Røros Tweed now has dealers and customers all over the world. There are plans afoot to open a dedicated showroom in central Oslo. And, crucially, the brand has been recently working with some of the biggest names of Norwegian and international design – from Bjarne Melgaard and Snøhetta to Kristine Five Melvær and Anderssen & Voll. As Thomas explains, “We’ve kept our traditions and focus on design by working with people we admire in interior textiles and architecture, art, illustration, and design and fashion”.

Yet, even in its collaborations, Røros Tweed’s approach remains local, committed to Norwegian talent, and stylistically unique. “We’ve never tried to create a cohesive ‘collection’ or a seasonal range that has to be replaced every six months,” Thomas points out. “Instead, we work with talents we find interesting and let them interpret the brand and bring their own designs and colours and looks and feels. If you look at the collection, there’s such a wide range of styles. The thing that brings them together is this belief that we’re sharing and supporting Norwegian talent in the spirit of the brand’s founder – and giving back to the local community”.

So, while Røros Tweed is building a name for itself across the world, the company stays firmly tied to its history – and ultimately Thomas wants it to stay that way. “In terms of what we are actually going to be making, we’ll do what we’ve been doing for eighty years. That means no compromise on making the absolute highest quality woollen products we can”.