We are always on the lookout for new solutions, new details, and new materials. But we never abandon timeless design.
The Early Years 1950-1980
In 1950, Arne Lundberg founded the company Chevalier at his home on the farm in the small town of Dalsjöfors, in the municipality of Borås. Arne had a great interest in horseback riding, and the company primarily focused on producing riding breeches but also regular men’s trousers. Most of the production was carried out by seamstresses who sewed from their homes on the Lundberg farm.
MILESTONE 1:
Arne was an early adopter of the revolutionary four-way stretch fabric. A fabric with outstanding properties that allowed it to stretch both in length and width. With this new material, Chevalier was able to produce comfortable and functional trousers. The baggy riding breeches of the past were now replaced by modern, stretchy, tight-fitting riding breeches.
The company continued to expand and soon began supplying riding breeches to the country’s mounted police. At this time, Chevalier accounted for 70 percent of all riding breeches sales in Sweden.
New Owners, New Innovations
In 1980, Arne Lundberg decided to sell Chevalier to Uniteco. Uniteco produced, among other things, uniforms for the state and various companies. At this time, Chevalier’s products were sold through retailers in Sweden and Norway.
In 1986, Jan Borekull, owner of the company Sportmaster AB, together with other investors, acquired Chevalier. Sportmaster was manufacturing sports, leisure, and promotional clothing at the time. For several years, they also supplied all the polo shirts worn by Sweden’s postal workers. At Sportmaster, Lars Björkman worked as the sales manager and Lars Elovsson as the financial manager.
In the mid-1980s, production was moved from Sweden to Finland, and later, in 1987, to Portugal.
In 1987, Lars Björkman became the new CEO of Chevalier.
In 1988, the company moved its operations to Gothenburg.
In 1991, in the wake of the major financial crisis, Lars Björkman, Lars Elovsson, and Kennet Truedsson took over Chevalier. The company now focused entirely on manufacturing hunting clothing and boots. The production of riding apparel was discontinued, and the company's slogan changed from "Chevalier for Hunting and Riding" to "Chevalier - Quality and Craftsmanship."
The new owners faced a tough start when interest rates soared to 500 percent in just a few days, while the Swedish krona lost significant value, and suppliers had to be paid in foreign currencies.
The fabrics used for hunting clothing at the time mainly included loden, moleskin, military satin, and pile, which was so common that these jackets were also called "rural blazers." Another essential garment for hunters was the traditional hunting trousers with leather that hung over the boots in the front.
MILESTONE 2:
In 1992, Chevalier began its collaboration with Gore-Tex, which proved to be a success. Chevalier introduced the MONTANA series, a jacket and trousers made of the new innovative brushed polyester microfiber fabric, equipped with a Gore-Tex liner.
The new microfiber fabric was characterized by being lightweight, durable, quiet, and soft, with minimal water absorption—ideal for hunting clothing.
Prototypes were sent back and forth to Gore-Tex and meticulously tested in laboratories to ensure quality and gain approval for construction and materials. Sometimes, Chevalier had to make adjustments before sending the garments back to Gore-Tex for further testing.
The Montana series became one of the most successful hunting garments and was soon widely copied. To this day, the material is still used by Chevalier and many other players in the hunting apparel industry.
At this time, production was mainly based in Portugal, and Chevalier's market expanded as the company began exporting to several non-Nordic countries.
Anecdote:
The factory in Portugal, which was licensed to manufacture Gore-Tex garments, failed to procure sample meters of the new Italian microfiber fabric in time. However, the owners of Chevalier were so convinced that the series would be a success that they made the prototype garments from moleskin, a fabric that felt very similar to microfiber. Fortunately, no one noticed the difference when the sales team showcased the new revolutionary garment.
MILESTONE 3:
The MIDLAND hunting outfit (and Midland Light) was introduced. This hunting suit, consisting of a jacket and trousers, revolutionized the hunting apparel industry by laminating the Gore-Tex membrane directly onto the outer microfiber fabric for the first time. This resulted in an even better product with enhanced water resistance, as the water was stopped at the outer layer.
Innovation is often driven by material development, and Chevalier now took major steps forward, distinguishing itself from the competition. The new garments combined lightweight, flexibility, silence, adaptability, and dryness. For a few seasons, Chevalier had exclusive rights to this material.
In 1999, Kennet Truedsson sold his share of Chevalier to the two other owners.
MILESTONE 4:
From the early to mid-1990s, Chevalier began expanding its product range, graduallyintroducing accessories, backpacks, fleece garments, and shirts..
In the mid-1990s, Chevalier launched its first hunting boots, Husky, featuring Gore-Tex technology.
In 2000, Finnish company Reima Tutta Oy acquired a majority stake in Chevalier. Reima made significant investments in "smart clothing" with integrated information technology.
In 2005, Lars Björkman and Lars Elovsson sold their remaining shares of Chevalier to Reima.
In 2007, Björkman and Elovsson repurchased the company alongside Forum Invest/The Gustavsson Family.
In 2019, Open Air Group, a company that owns several major brands in the hunting and outdoor industry, acquired Chevalier.
A NEW ERA
In 2020, Chevalier.se launched its e-commerce platform in Sweden, Norway, Germany and rest of EU, marking a new chapter in the company’s history.
In 2025, Chevalier celebrates its 75th anniversary looking ahead to future seasons filled with exciting innovations.