Randers Handskefabrik has for centuries made gloves for nobles and royalty, including the French Queen Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) and the Danish Princess Dagmar (1847-1928), who was still regularly sent new gloves from Denmark after she became Empress of Russia.
PURVEYOR TO THE ROYAL DANISH COURT
In 2000, Randers Handskefabrik was appointed Purveyor to Her Majesty on H.M. The Queen's 60th birthday on April 16th 2000. The royal warrant was awarded in the "leather goods" category and marked a high point in the glove factory's long-standing relationship with the Royal Palace. The designation as Purveyor to the Royal Danish Court gives the holder the right to use the predicate and an image of the crown on the company's signs, letterheads and packaging.
THE ROYALS
Today we glove the entire Danish royal family - including the newest generation: HRH Crown Prince Frederik and HRH Crown Princess Mary. In addition, we also supply gloves to the Royal Life Guard, the Queen's officers, drivers and the Royal Stables.
© Photo: to the left Keld Navntoft / Ritzau Scanpix, to the right Tim Kildeborg Jensen/ Ritzau Scanpix
PRODUCTION IS DISCONTINUED
Since Marinus Thomsen's time, part of glove production has been sewn abroad, e.g. in Italy and Hungary, and in 2007 the last production at the glove factory in Randers closed. Many of the factory's seamstresses retired, rising wages and a distinct focus on "fast fashion" in the market made the willingness to pay for Danish-produced gloves low. Randers Handskefabrik's partners are carefully trained in the sewing techniques behind "real" gloves from Randers.
© Photo: to the left Kongehuset, to the right Keld Navntoft/ Ritzau Scanpix
RHANDERS IN HISTORY
"The title "Purveyor to Her Majesty" - known as the Royal Warrant, is awarded as a special recognition of a company based on an assessment of quality, business conduct, social responsibility and propriety. There are 100 royal purveyors in Denmark.
The Danish royal house can be traced back to Gorm the Old (d. ca. 958) and is therefore among the oldest in the world.
Where the monarchy in many other countries has been abolished in connection with revolutions and clashes with dynastic successions of earlier times, the Danish royal house has managed to stand strong through the ages, and in times of crisis has stood as the symbol of freedom and togetherness.
This i.a. such as Frederik III, who in 1658 during one of the Swedish Wars chose to stay in Copenhagen to stand up to his people with the words "I will die in my nest" and Christian X (our current queen's grandfather), who did not flee at the beginning of the Occupation from Denmark, but every morning rode out into the streets of Copenhagen and thus became a symbol and a rallying point for the Danes.
Gloves from Randers have for centuries been part of the clothing of both the Danish and foreign royal houses, and still are to this day.
