Iconic sweater gave 'the city's best breasts'. 60 years later, it is still high fashion

An iconic sweater that gave 'the city's best breasts'. 60 years later, it's still high fashion

The sweater from Nørgaard became a timeless classic. We take a closer look at the story behind it.

Jørgen Nørgaard took over his parents' shop premises on Amagertorv in Copenhagen and started 'Nørgaard på Strøget', which he ran for five decades until his son Mads Nørgaard took over the business in 2011. Jørgen Nørgaard died in 2020 at the age of 89. (Photo: © Thomas Borberg, Politiken/Ritzau Scanpix)

By

Svante Oskar Wettergren ( [email protected] ) Today at 7:51 PM

You definitely know it:

The ribbed, undershirt-like blouse

The Nørgaard sweater.

Here is an example of the iconic sweater. (Photo: © Torben Skjødt Jensen, DR)

And Jørgen Nørgaard – the creator of the sweater – is currently featured in the DR program 'Nørgaard's Special Sense'.

Over the years, more than three million copies of the popular garment have been sold, which today is so iconic that it is part of the permanent exhibition at the Design Museum in Copenhagen as a testament to its significance in Danish fashion history.

Soon, Jørgen Nørgaard's classic sweater will turn 60, and on that occasion, we have dug up four stories about it that you may never have heard before:

James Dean in the film 'Rebel Without a Cause' from 1955. (Photo: © Nicholas Ray, Nf-Nf/Ritzau Scanpix)

A chess set in a barter trade ended up, in many ways, being the start of the entire sweater adventure.

In 1947, at 17 years old, Jørgen Nørgaard was in Paris in connection with a large international scout camp. From a sidewalk café, he spotted an American tourist wearing something he had never seen before – a T-shirt.

Nørgaard was captivated and wanted to buy the fascinating cotton shirt from the American, but was refused. Until he showed the American a fine chess set he had received as a gift from his parents, who then agreed to a barter trade.

The T-shirt – which was otherwise mostly considered underwear at the time – became truly popular in the US during the 1950s, when movie stars like Marlon Brando and James Dean began wearing the thin shirt in public and made it cool.

According to Jørgen Nørgaard, the blouse was really just a long-sleeved undershirt. But it became so refined that people wanted to wear it. Not least, after homes began to get warmer. (© Pexels)

While the T-shirt became cool, it had also become popular to turn up the temperature in Danish homes. Something that turned out to be more decisive for Jørgen Nørgaard than one might initially think.

During World War II

But in the following years, many homes were insulated and got radiators. This meant that living rooms became warmer, and there was now a need for lighter sweaters. As Jørgen Nørgaard himself said in 'Nørgaard's Special Sense':

- The indoor temperature had changed. So now there was a need for cotton.

And in 1967, Jørgen Nørgaard was able to put the striped sweater on the shelves for the first time.

Highway 1 – or Pacific Coast Highway – is one of the world's most famous coastal roads. Particularly the stretch between San Francisco and Los Angeles, where the road winds along cliffs with views of the Pacific Ocean. (© Pexels)

However, the tourist in Paris was not the only American inspiration that Jørgen Nørgaard drew upon.

As a tribute to Levi's 501 jeans and the famous road along the California coast in the USA – Highway 1 – he called his striped sweater 101.

In this way, it also became a symbol of the wildness and freedom that many associated with American highways.

Here are Christa Sandbæk (left) and Anne Lise Vrede (right), who were employees at Nørgaard på Strøget for many years. (Photo: © Lars Hansen, Ritzau Scanpix)

With the sweater, Jørgen Nørgaard had a particular stated goal:

- We tried to make a piece of clothing that gave the city's best breasts, Jørgen Nørgaard said in an interview with Elle.

Therefore, he had no doubt that it had to be produced in a way that it fit tightly to the body.

- I had a feeling that it should be weighted and woven like knitwear to be close to the body. At the same time, I thought – because it stretches, knitwear – that you could even get away with making it in just one size.

It turned out to coincide coincidentally with the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A time that long-time employee Anne Lise Vrede remembers clearly.

- That was also the time when we threw away the bra. And with the ribbed fabric, you could sometimes see the "nipples"

Today, a similar statement about giving "the city's best breasts" would probably be received differently. But Jørgen Nørgaard did it in the spirit of equality, believes Cecilie Nørgaard, who is a sociologist and married to Jørgen's son, Mads Nørgaard.

- He wanted to promote women's opportunities. When he talked about how the 101 looked beautiful on women's breasts, it was in a progressive light at that time. But today, it might actually seem a bit sexist. However, that was not the intention at the time, nor was it how it was received, she assures in the TV program.

Get the full story about Jørgen Nørgaard and his sense for trends and quality on DRTV:

Nørgaard's Special Sense Documentary | 58M

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