Henrik Natvig Brun was born in Oslo in 1897 and received a military education. In 1921, he took over running the family farm Lunda in Uvdal. Alongside the farm work, Henrik preoccupied himself with exploring ways to better equip the Norwegian Army. He was especially interested in the idea of improving undergarments, which led him to develop a netting vest that resembles the historic Viking armour known as Brynje. Brun’s novel idea was to construct an insulating and ventilating garment that could trap warm air between the outer clothes and the skin. At first, he experimented with making vests from fishing nets but later switched to using cotton. Henrik Brun is said to have knitted over a thousand Brynje string vests himself.

For three winters, Brun was engaged by the Norwegian King’s Guard to develop cold season equipment "according to his own principles and ideas". Brun sums up an 800 km long-distance march in bad winter weather and miserable conditions, the following way: “The guardsmen were healthy and strong, far from exhausted after the march. This is probably mostly due to good clothing, good equipment and the sledge being of reasonable weight and appropriate type.” The sledge was also made by Brun.

For the first time, Brynje thermal string vests were tested by an entire field battalion. A letter addressed to Brun shows that a total of 600 vests were distributed to soldiers. The test resulted in words of praise: 1) “From random tests, which we have carried out periodically in order to accurately understand the views of the soldiers, the outcome has always been the same; that the ventilating and insulating properties of the vest fully correspond to the expectations created by the advertising." (Captain Egers, commander of the Staff Battalion) 2) “The soldiers kept warm even in the most severe conditions (- 30 degrees celsius). The reason for this was that the soldiers, in addition to their military clothing, had been given Brynje string vests. This was worn by all the soldiers and everyone seemed happy with it." (Captain Smith, commander of the 3rd Field Battery) 3) "The boys liked the Brynje string vest very much" (Captain Hellum, commander of the 4th Field Battery).

In the years following the second world war, the Norwegian Defence was looking for a manufacturer of the Brynje string vest, and at this point, the family business Jacobsen in Larvik became interested in producing "Brun’s Brynje". Brun himself lacked the proper industrial knitting machines as well as the funds to set up his own production. At the time when Brun and Jacobsen began discussing possibilities, Brun had already approached several factories without success. In the aftermath of the war, Brun had been convicted of treason for choices he made during the second world war, so the Norwegian Defence no longer wanted to conduct business with him. Jacobsen owned Raschel knitting machines, and through collaboration with both the Norwegian Army and with Brun, the Jacobsen family developed a prototype of the string vest, however, when the Armed Forces announced its first round of tender, 14 factories submitted bids. In public tenders, it is permitted to copy and make patents available to others, thus, many companies took advantage of this opportunity and in the end, it was not Jacobsen, but another manufacturer, who won the tender due to their lower production cost. Over the years, Brynje has experienced losing tenders many times - being the most affordable manufacturer is often not possible when also upholding a commitment to environmental protection, ethical principles and high-quality products.

When the British Army Colonel John Hunt was put in charge of planning the famous Mount Everest expedition of 1953, he shocked the then conservative climbing world with completely new theories about weight, speed, clothing and comfort. The entire expedition team was equipped with Brynje string vests, and on May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the top of the world's highest mountain. The two climbers wore Brynje's string vests next to the skin, making these the first thermal undergarments at 8848 m elevation, and supporting Hillary and Tenzing as they “knocked the bastard off”.

Edvin Thorson Jr., the owner of the company EKT’, was one of many people to start up production of the string vests soon after the war. Even though EKT string vests were manufactured by use of Brynje knitting machines, they were still considered a competitor. Gradually, the EKT and Brynje string vests grew to have equal market shares in Norway. Although Thorson had been quick to start his string vest production, it was Brynje who had co-developed the string vest with the Norwegian Defence and It was also Brynje who made the first machine-produced string vest and who bought and re-registered the Brynje brand name. Brynje went to court against EKT to secure the rights to the brand name and won the case. The end result was that Brynje bought back the machines from Thorson when he halted his string vest production. Brynje also acquired the right to continue production under the brand name EKT to its regular customers and for sales to Langedrag Nature Park in the Nore and Uvdal district. In later years, there have been several other court cases relating to the Brynje brand name.

The mesh undergarments are extremely lightweight, absorb minimal moisture and “is the most heat-insulating fibre on the market. It Insulates even better than wool when compared on an equal volume basis. In achieving this, the construction of the garment plays a major role.”

Knut Holmann took gold (K1-1000 meters) and silver (K1-10 000 meters) at the World Championships in Copenhagen in 1993 with a short-sleeved white Super Thermo mesh jersey under the singlet.

Expeditionists Harald Hauge, Cato Zahl Pedersen and Lars Ebbesen all wore Brynje’s Super Thermo Mesh as they made their way to the South Pole. Cato Zahl Pedersen became the first person with a physical handicap to ski to the South Pole and the expedition title makes reference to this. It was also the first time that fully synthetic thermal underwear was used on a polar expedition and it was found to work superbly.

Polar explorers, Sjur Mørdre and Lars Ebbesen, praised the superior performance of Brynje’s Super Thermo Mesh base layers that they wore on their expedition to the North Pole.

Brynje base layers were worn by Rolf Bae and Eirik Sønnerland as they crossed Antarctica, taking 105 days to complete what was then the world’s longest ski trek.

Randi Skaug became the first Norwegian woman to ascend Mt. Everest. Her expedition had a singular goal: Mastery, which she accomplished! Brynje is proud to have Randi as a brand ambassador.

Pål Anders Ullevålseter has competed in the Dakar Rally 11 times and was the first Norwegian to complete the race. His best result came in 2010 when he came in second, finishing just over an hour behind the winner. In this race he wore Brynje Super Thermo mesh next to the skin, and he has used the same garments for many years. He still uses Brynje actively.

The online store, www.brynje.no brings new opportunities for existing customers and expands Brynje’s market.

Frode Lein, one of Norway's toughest ultra runners, was among the first four people in history to complete the "The Last Desert" race, covering 250 kilometres of the Antarctic continent. Brynje is proud to have Frode as a brand ambassador.

Brynje launches a new collection of shell jackets, trousers and mittens. These robust technical outerwear products are intended for mountain and expedition use and were designed to provide protection in the most demanding conditions on the planet. The Expedition collection was well received by a wide range of customers and clients.

Iditarod conjures up images of dog sledders crossing Alaska's wilderness in "The Toughest Race on Earth". As a participant in the Iditarod Trail Invitational, each contestant can choose between cycling, skiing - or for those who want to make it extra difficult for themselves - running in sneakers and snowshoes. Extreme runner and Brynje ambassador Frode Lein chose the latter option!

Brynje becomes certified by Norway’s leading sustainability and social responsibility certifying body Eco-Lighthouse.

Welcome to Kongens street no. 16!