From a series written for ABC Radio National’s Blueprint for Living. The Norwegian sweater first aired on 2nd September 2023. You can listen to the audio here.

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A national costume can seem overly quaint and folksy. But other clothes can reflect nationhood, too, like the Norwegian knitted sweater. The most famous and most popular is the Marius design, a superstar among sweaters. Which is not surprising because it’s named after the Norwegian filmstar, Marius Eriksen, who wore it in the 1954 comedy film Watch What You Say. As a champion skier and a war hero, Eriksen imbued the humble sweater with a dash of national pride. Richly coloured and with bands of geometric patterning encircling the chest and shoulders, it may speak of homespun comfort rather than high fashion. And yet it’s a design icon, blending tradition with a touch of glamour.

Knitting has always been an important part of Scandinavian life. The sweaters worn by Norwegian fishermen repelled water while retaining warmth, and there’s evidence that similarly stitched garments were fashioned by the Vikings over a thousand years ago. With increasing foreign influences in the twentieth century it was feared that many of Norway’s traditional crafts would disappear. One company in particular, known as Dale of Norway today, was key to maintaining interest in traditional sweater design. There were different patterns affiliated to specific areas. Such as the Selburose design, a stylised octagonal rose that was associated with the Selbu area near Trondheim from the 1850s. Similarly, knitwear from the Fana region near Bergen incorporated stripes with contrasting dots, known as lice, interspersed with bands of larger designs like snowflakes. These and other patterns were resurrected by knitting pattern designers in the 20^th century in an effort to keep them relevant. During the Second World War, when the country was invaded by the Nazis, wearing something as humdrum as a jumper now became a symbol of patriotism. With wartime shortages, home crafts were vital and now the sweater became an emblem of domestic doggedness.

There are conflicting claims for who created the Marius design. Bitten Eriksen had collected traditional sweater patterns for the Dale company since the 1920s and it was the sweater she knitted for her son Marius when he returned home from the war that was worn in the film in which he starred. And yet the Marius design is most often credited to another pattern designer, Unn Søiland, who also worked for the Dale company. She helped promote the updated patterns, which were outsourced by Dale to over a thousand women, knitting at home, rather as Tweed was produced in the crofts of the Hebrides in Scotland.

Whoever was responsible, the design found further fame as part of the national ski team’s uniform in the 1954 World Championships in Oslo, a slightly different version called Marius ll in the red, white and blue of the national flag. At this time in the 1950s, fashion in the western world was becoming more relaxed. Now the filmstars of the time were as likely to be seen in jeans and a sweater as in a frock or a suit. It helped entrench the particular look of the Norwegian sweater, reflecting interest in Scandinavian design, so influential on Mid-Century Modernism.

It’s remarkable that a simple sweater can weave together so many diverse elements, while highlighting the importance of knitting itself, which remains socially important for northern communities where daylight can disappear for months. The Marius sweater captured the zeitgeist, highlighting the image of Scandinavian quality and Nordic integrity, a symbol of strength laid out clearly in all its softness. And Norwegian to every last stitch.