Grundéns - tradition and know-how
AS EARLY AS in the 15th - 16th century the Inca Indians had learned how to make their garments partial water-resistant. They used the sap from a tree, probably the rubber-tree, and smeared it on their clothes to make it durable to water.
In 1801 a way of waterproofing cloth with rubber was invented. But not until 1823 was it presented and used by Charles Mackintosh. Hence the English word for raincoat – mackintosh.
Not until Charles Goodyear and Thomas Hancock, in the 1840's,invented the vulcanization, the rubber garments became popular.
In 1911 Carl A. Grundn, along with T and Julius Didrikson, founded the Rain Gear Factory Didrikson Grundn & Co in Grundsund located in the Swedish west-coast. Due to the lack of linseed oil and cotton fabric, when WW1 started in 1914, the production seized and Carl A. Grundn committed himself to wholesale of lobster and fish.
In 1926, Carl A. Grundn, once again, started a raingear factory. Now alone, but without the personal guarantees of the brewer Mr. Karlsson, the baker Mr. Lidell and Mr. Jakob Olsson from Backa, it would never had been possible.
Until the beginning of the 1930's the production was restricted to oiled garments. These were made of unbleached sheeting and denim. The garments were sewn with double fabric and then lowered into barrels of boiled linseed oil. When the garments were saturated with linseed oil they had to run through a kind of mangle.
Then the garments were hung to dry in room temperature. After approximately 14 days of drying they were painted by hand using large brushes. Once again with boiled linseed oil but now also with an essence of special finish varnishes. After this it was time for another 14 days of drying and then the procedure was repeated. Sometimes this way of treatment was repeated as much as four times.
Through the many treatments the garments, including the sticthingholes, became almost water-proof. As a precaution, a very thick tread and fine needles were used. During this period, 1930-35, rainwear was mainly used by commercial fishermen, sailors and miners. Other occupations were normally interrupted in case of rain.
The most endangered ones, the commercial fishermen, who in Sweden mostly did fish in the Northern Sea and "Skagerack", often worked 18-20 hours a day. They did fish from big, open boats, so called "kågar" with no protection whatsoever for the 10 man crew. As the worst storms would come from the south-west, it is likely this is why the fishermen named their protective hats "southwesters".
During the 1930's the rubberized fabric was introduced. This was a lot more comfortable and durable than the oiled cloth, and it was first about this time one could talk about an industrial development within the Rainwear industry.
Any-how, the seams presented problems as far as getting them water-proof. Gradually a method of vulcanizing these was applied and rubberized stripes of fabric were applied and then manually pressed with special roller gears. Now, for the first time, rainwear would become completely water-proof.
In the beginning of the 1950's PVC-coated fabrics first were used. These materials still run as the world-leading fabric in rainwear for most professions.
It was also during this time the company reached its peak of expansion in Grundsund, in spite of the fact they had had activities in Uddevalla as well as in Överby and Degerfors. During the summer of 1955 the factory was moved to Uddevalla.
Because of the increased level of costs in Sweden, and the increased low-price-import, the company Pluvia in Portugal was founded in 1972. The business was handled in Sweden as well as in Portugal but in 1976 all production was moved to Portugal.
Warehousing, sales and dispatch remained in Sweden.
On December 9 in 1983 the company, which at that time had gotten its present name, Grundns Regnkläder AB, was struck by a fire. Everything was destroyed. Fortunately the production was located in Portugal.
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