The story of the Marius sweater.

The striking red, white, and navy colors of the national flag and a distinctive alpine pattern have meant the Marius sweater is known across the world as a Norwegian icon. From humble origins to movie star status, its story continues to evolve today.

Marius Eriksen donned then name to the famous Norwegian pattern.

ORIGINS

A former model and one of Norway’s first female entrepreneurs, Unn Søiland Dale (1926–2002) was the woman behind the Marius. As a child, she was an avid knitter, and undeniably took inspiration for her later designs from traditional Norwegian knitting books. Dale later moved to Paris and then London, working as a Catwalk model in the French capital, and then at the London fashion house, Hardy Amies.

DISPUTE

Designer Bitten Eriksen also claims to have designed the original Marius pattern, however. She claims that she discovered and worked on the pattern, long before Dale in the 1920s, almost 30 years before. Despite the dispute on original ownership, both Eriksen and Dale were heavily influenced by traditional Norwegian patterns and likely the same Norwegian knitting books!

MARIUS AND STEIN

The Marius pattern owes its name to the Second World War fighter pilot, skier, and movie star, Marius Eriksen. Oldschoolers readers might know Marius as the older brother of ski legend Stein Eriksen, often called “skiing’s first superstar” due to his good looks, aerial flips, and patented smooth skiing style. Stein often wore the Marius sweater when skiing and helped make it famous in ski circles.

Stein Eriksen became skiing’s first superstar and helped popularize the Marius sweater in America.

When the War ended, Marius Eriksen trained and competed in alpine skiing, going on to take part in the 1948 Winter Olympics in Switzerland. He became Norwegian alpine skiing champion in 1947 and 1948. In 1954, Eriksen was cast in the Norwegian film, Trol I Ord (Troll in Words). The picture from this film was used on the front cover of the Marius knitting pattern and helped accelerate the success of the unique pattern. The movie generated enormous attention in Norway and prompted a great knitting craze in the country. It was the appearance of the pattern on Eriksen’s jumper which helped consolidate its popularity and create a legacy that still lives strong today.

Without a doubt, the Marius is a Norwegian icon; a design heavily influenced by the dramatic fjords, the traditional Norwegian knitting patterns, and Norwegians’ love for the outdoors and nature.

Some of our favorite companies using the pattern today are Ulvang, Rauma, and Lillunn.