It all started with know-how and knitting machines imported from Germany. Ole Andreas Devold was convinced that his woolen underwear and woolen mittens were just the thing for the local fishermen around Ålesund. However, sales were anything but smooth in the first few years after 1853. It was only with the help of a wholesaler that the Devold brand became better known, and a few decades later Ole already had one of the largest textile factories in Norway.
Ole was not only innovative with his wool products. He also built the first electricity plant in Norway and set up a 40 km telephone line when the production facility moved from Ålesund to Langevåg in the countryside and by the fjord. Four years after Thomas Edison invented the first light bulb, 125 of them were already burning in the Devold factory - powered by its own electricity from the hydroelectric power station. This meant that many woolen shirts could be produced even during the long Norwegian winters.
The first bestsellers were Blaatrøia, Rødlua and Islender! Nobody would probably buy them today. A simple blue shirt, a funny red headgear for distinguished use and the scratchy Icelandic turtleneck sweater. Ole Devold has been supporting expedition teams such as those of the famous polar explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen since the end of the 19th century.
