Helly Hansen - Fashion Company Profile
Helly Hansen is the Norwegian professional-grade gear brand founded in 1877 by sea captain Helly Juell Hansen - maker of oilskins then, and of sailing, ski and workwear systems now - and since June 2, 2025 a brand of Kontoor Brands, which bought it from Canadian Tire for about C$1.276 billion.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Operating - a professional-grade sailing, ski and workwear brand, owned by Kontoor Brands since June 2, 2025
- Type
- Brand of Kontoor Brands, Inc. (NYSE: KTB), acquired from Canadian Tire Corporation, which had owned it since 2018
- Headquarters
- Oslo, Norway
- Founded
- 1877, in Moss, Norway, by Helly Juell Hansen and Maren Margarethe Hansen
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Company Profile
The record below - the 1877 oilskin beginnings, the Paris Expo diploma of 1878, the line of technical firsts from supple waterproof fabrics to Lifa base layers and H2Flow, and its coats and skiwear photograph - is kept in full on the history page. Current collections are on Helly Hansen's own site, linked above; the shop box covers Helly Hansen products sold through Amazon and eBay.
The innovation record that follows is presented as a list of firsts drawn from living and working in the world's harshest environments: the first supple waterproof fabrics almost 140 years ago, the first fleece fabrics in the 1960s, the first technical base layers in the 1970s made with Lifa Stay Dry Technology, and today's award-winning patented H2Flow temperature regulating system. The professional standing is quantified just as plainly: a leader in technical sailing and performance ski apparel as well as premium workwear, its ski uniforms worn and trusted by more than 50,000 professionals and found on Olympians, National Teams, and at more than 200 ski resorts and mountain guiding operations around the world.
Helly Hansen History
The earlier record for this company - its history, past brand line-ups, figures and photographs from the periods described - is kept on a separate page for historical reference.
Helly Hansen History & Historical Profile →Common Questions
When and where was Helly Hansen founded?
In Norway in 1877, by Helly Juell Hansen and his wife Maren Margarethe, producing oilskin jackets, trousers, sou'westers and tarpaulins, in the historical record.
What technical firsts does the profile claim?
The first supple waterproof fabrics, the first fleece fabrics in the 1960s, the first technical base layers in the 1970s with Lifa Stay Dry Technology, and the patented H2Flow temperature regulating system, in the historical record.
Who uses Helly Hansen ski uniforms?
More than 50,000 professionals, including Olympians and National Teams, at more than 200 ski resorts and mountain guiding operations, in the historical record.
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