History

When Martin Göthager founded the company in 1946, the focus was on women's knitwear, and the garments were sold under the name Gällstads Ylle. It was post-war and resources were scarce, but Martin, who was both a skilled businessman and knowledgeable in knitting techniques, managed to design garments that both fit the yarn that was available and were in tune with the times in terms of fashion.

To finance the purchase of the first knitting machines, Martin mortgaged his house - a brave and decisive decision that laid the foundation for the company's future. The first machines were installed upstairs in their home, where his wife Ragnhild sat and sewed the garments. Their home thus became both a family house and a production site, and together they built the business from scratch.

When the company later established itself in the sports industry, it changed its name to Ivanhoe - a name that felt both sporty and international. The ambition was now to reach out with its products across Europe.

Over the past 75 years, the company has had several different focuses and styles, but what many people still strongly associate with Ivanhoe are the iconic ski shirts launched in the late 70s and early 80s.

Today's innovative and functional sweaters from Ivanhoe are largely manufactured in our own factory in Gällstad. When it comes to sewing, we now work with carefully selected partner companies in Europe. This close cooperation ensures both good working conditions and the highest quality of our products. We retain full control throughout the production chain - from the choice of yarn and thread to the finished garment. The geographical proximity allows us to act quickly, offer short lead times and at the same time reduce the environmental impact through shorter transportation.

The company was run from the early 1980s and for about 40 years by Martin's three sons: Lars-Erik, Ulf and Göran.

Today, it is the third generation and the siblings Anders, Anna & Karin who drive the company forward.