Portuguese cotton
A natural, dense, legible material, chosen to avoid synthetics and keep a soft hand.
Jacquard knit
The helmet motif is built into the knit, double thickness, knitted in the Ave valley.
Real use
A lift-up band, a tighter mask, a long collar down the neck: the cut follows the cold and the gesture.
Heritage
Where it comes from.
Gjermundbu, 10th century
A helmet without horns
In 1943, while a field was being cleared at the Gjermundbu farm, in Norway's Ringerike, a 10th-century grave came to light. It held an iron helmet in pieces, now at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo. It is one of only 2 Viking helmets that could be reconstructed.
It has no horns: those come from 19th-century opera costumes. A rounded cap, a ridge on top, a spectacle-shaped face guard. Frosthelm starts from those lines.
Nordic traditions →
Viking Age
Before knitting
In the Viking Age, nobody in Scandinavia knits yet. Caps, mittens and socks are made in nålebinding: a single short needle, of bone or wood, that draws the yarn through loop after loop.
The technique is far older than knitting and is still practised in the North. Frosthelm is knitted: from the helmet it keeps the shape, not the stitch.
The material
100% Portuguese cotton, naturally.
A balaclava is worn directly against the face and neck. Material is not a detail, so we chose Portuguese cotton for its softness, resilience and everyday simplicity.
Soft against the face
Cotton feels soft against the face and neck, so the balaclava can be worn for hours without demanding attention.
Easy to care for
A familiar material that is simple to wash and develops character with use rather than requiring complicated care.
A natural fibre
We chose a clear cotton composition to keep synthetic fibres out of the garment as much as possible.
Made to last
A dense Portuguese cotton, knitted to hold for years rather than a season. That's our answer to fast fashion.
It goes on and comes off through the day: rolled up into a beanie on the climb when you are warm, mask folded down as soon as you stop. The stop at a col, camp, sitting up in the evening, the face outside the sleeping bag, wind head on.
How we designed it →The piece · 01
The line of the helmet
Frosthelm starts from a helmet idea: ridge lines running down from the crown, a structure that protects as much as it decorates.
The motif reads from afar. The proportions cut the wind, in the logic of balaclavas made for the mountains.
The piece · 02
Warm and graphic
Like Skadi, Frosthelm is knitted in double-thickness jacquard: it holds warmth without weighing on your breath.
A patterned band, a tighter mask, a long collar: the cut follows the cold and the gesture.
FAQ
The key questions.
Is the price final?
Frosthelm is offered at €59 during the pre-order, then €65 once available in stock. Payment is taken at checkout.
Is Frosthelm made of wool?
No. Frosthelm is 100% Portuguese cotton, knitted in the Ave valley. That is a choice, not a compromise: cotton is not an animal fibre, moths do not attack it, it washes at 30 °C without special care, and it never holds the smell of wet wool.
Cotton or merino — which should I choose?
It depends on when the piece is worn. For a garment kept on during effort, merino tolerates moisture better. On a balaclava, which comes and goes through the day and sits against the face, other criteria decide: no animal fibre, no moths, a machine wash with no special care, better resistance to abrasion, and no synthetic fibre in the knit. Full comparison on our « Choosing your balaclava » page.
Is there any plastic in Frosthelm?
Not in the knit: 100% cotton — no elastane, no polyester, no acrylic. This is one of the few points where the difference is measurable: surface for surface, a fleece releases around 85 times more microfibres in the wash than a smooth synthetic fabric, and those fibres do not break down. Natural fibres shed microfibres too, but they biodegrade.
Does Frosthelm itch?
No. Cotton does not raise the irritation question that coarse wools do, where fibre diameter exceeds 30 microns. In fairness: a superfine merino under 20 microns does not itch either.
Is the material certified?
Yes. Frosthelm is knitted in a workshop certified to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 — certificate no. 6299CIT, issued by CITEVE. It covers product class I, the strictest of the 4: the class for articles used by babies under 3. In practice, every component has been tested for harmful substances against the lowest thresholds in the standard. On a piece worn directly against the face and nose, that felt like the least negotiable criterion. The certificate belongs to the workshop, not to us: it can be checked on the public OEKO-TEX register.
Is Frosthelm vegan?
The knit is: 100% cotton, no animal material. No wool, no silk, no down. That leaves the label sewn inside, which still contains polyester. Not animal, but it stops us saying the piece is entirely natural. We are working on replacing it.
I can't wear wool. Can I wear this one?
There is no wool in it, so the question doesn't arise: it's cotton. That said, let's be accurate. Wool is not an allergen. A review published in Acta Dermato-Venereologica in 2017 puts the discomfort down to fibre diameter, above roughly 30 microns, rather than an allergic reaction. A very fine merino doesn't itch either. So cotton fixes nothing medical. It just saves you the question.
Is Frosthelm suitable for trekking and bivouac?
That is what it is made for. Frosthelm is worn like any balaclava: rolled up into a beanie on the climb when you are warm, mask folded down as soon as you stop. The stop at a col when warmth drops, camp, sitting up in the evening, the face outside the sleeping bag, wind head on. The openwork zone over the mouth lets the breath through instead of condensing it, which matters when you stay still for hours.
A balaclava, or a neck gaiter and a beanie?
One piece does both. Headband rolled up, Frosthelm is a plain beanie. Headband folded down, it closes the face and the neck. Switching takes one hand, with no need to remove gloves or hood, which saves carrying 2 accessories and hunting for them in the pack at the moment you get cold.
Will it fog up my glasses?
The knit is openwork over the mouth: the breath passes through instead of being pushed upwards, which limits fogging. No balaclava removes it entirely, but that is exactly what this zone is for.
What if one size does not fit me?
The knit stretches and the pattern was adjusted over 4 prototype rounds. If Frosthelm still does not fit, you have 14 days after delivery to send it back for a refund. The flat measurements are listed below so you can place yourself before ordering.
Does it shrink or lose shape in the wash?
No, provided you wash it cold, 30 °C maximum, on a delicate cycle. What shrinks cotton is the tumble dryer: dry it flat. The double-thickness knit springs back on its own, it does not rely on elastane for that.
Which size should I choose?
Frosthelm is one size. The stretch knit fits most head sizes; the flat measurements are listed below.
I am pre-ordering: when am I charged, and when do I receive it?
Payment is taken at checkout, by Shopify. Production finishes on 13 November 2026 and shipping is announced for 1 December 2026. Should that date move, you would be told by email, and the 14-day right of withdrawal runs from delivery, not from the order.
Can I change my mind after ordering?
Yes. You have a 14-day right of withdrawal after delivery, under French law.
How is it made?
Each piece is knitted in the Ave valley, northern Portugal, in a partner workshop. The pattern is built into the knit, not printed.
Priority access
Before
everyone else.
Each new piece opens to the list 48 hours before the public. Plus the behind-the-scenes.
First series · Nordic · Viking helmetFrosthelm
59 €Pre-order
Quantity
1