86% matchRANRA Studio
Nordic performance outerwear via wardrobe archetypes
What changes: Designer-priced and more sculptural than archive-driven
Brand profile
Helly Hansen
Norwegian outdoor, sailing and workwear brand founded in 1877, acquired by Wrangler owner Kontoor Brands from Canadian Tire in May 2025.
MossOrigin
UnisexFocus
Gorpcore / OutdoorStyle
$$$Price
4 brands like Helly Hansen like RANRA Studio, Bergans of Norway, Norrona →
What to know about Helly Hansen
Built for professionals first
The line spans sailing, ski, mountain and professional workwear, with a separate Helly Hansen Workwear division and Musto as a sister label.
Proprietary fabrics do the work
LIFA base layers and the PFC-free LIFA INFINITY PRO membrane sit behind the Odin and Verglas shells; the Crew jacket has run for years.
New owner, American push
Kontoor Brands, which owns Wrangler and Lee, bought the Norwegian company from Canadian Tire in May 2025 for about CAD 1.3 billion and is expanding it in the US.
How Helly Hansen fits
Overall fit
slightly small
Most shoppers find Helly Hansen cut on the trimmer European side, with many taking their normal size but a sizeable minority sizing up for layering room or a broader build.
Tip: Take your usual size for a trim technical fit, but size up if you are between sizes, broader through the chest, or plan to layer under a shell.
Medium confidence · based on 18 sources
By category
| Category | Runs | Shape | Size advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoodies & sweatshirts | slightly small | regular midlayer cut, closer to the body than typical streetwear fleece | Consider sizing up if you want a relaxed hoodie feel rather than a layering midlayer fit. |
| Shirts & overshirts | true to size | regular outdoor cut, neither slim nor boxy | Order your usual size; the fit is intended to layer over a base layer. |
| Trousers & pants | true to size | regular to slightly relaxed, with ski and work pants cut for movement | Take your normal waist size; ski shells already allow room for a base layer underneath. |
| Jackets | slightly small | regular technical cut, trim through chest and waist with articulated arms | Stay true to size for a shell worn over a fleece, but size up if you want heavier midlayers underneath or have broader shoulders. |
| T-shirts & graphic tees | runs small | close-fitting, especially LIFA base layers which are deliberately body-hugging | Size up one if you dislike a compressive next-to-skin feel; casual cotton tees run closer to true to size. |
Directional fit consensus summarized from public sources with AI — a starting point, not a guarantee. Confirm with the product's own measurements before buying.
If you like Helly Hansen
86% match
86% matchBergans of Norway
Same Norwegian heritage-technical lineage, pack-led
What changes: Smaller, more trekking/expedition focused with no workwear or sailing arm
84% matchNorrona
Norwegian rival, more premium activity-specific shells
What changes: Higher price, narrower sport focus, no professional workwear
83% matchKonundrum
Modularity taken literally: detachable panel systems
What changes: Small independent, no heritage archive or brand legacy
Helly Hansen fit questions
Does Helly Hansen run big or small?
Helly Hansen fits slightly small. Take your usual size for a trim technical fit, but size up if you are between sizes, broader through the chest, or plan to layer under a shell. Most shoppers find Helly Hansen cut on the trimmer European side, with many taking their normal size but a sizeable minority sizing up for layering room or a broader build.
How does Helly Hansen fit?
Most shoppers find Helly Hansen cut on the trimmer European side, with many taking their normal size but a sizeable minority sizing up for layering room or a broader build. Overall shape: regular to slightly slim, Euro-cut through chest and waist with articulated sleeves.
How do Helly Hansen hoodies & sweatshirts fit?
Helly Hansen hoodies & sweatshirts fits slightly small. Consider sizing up if you want a relaxed hoodie feel rather than a layering midlayer fit. Shape: regular midlayer cut, closer to the body than typical streetwear fleece.
How do Helly Hansen shirts & overshirts fit?
Helly Hansen shirts & overshirts fits true to size. Order your usual size; the fit is intended to layer over a base layer. Shape: regular outdoor cut, neither slim nor boxy.
How do Helly Hansen trousers & pants fit?
Helly Hansen trousers & pants fits true to size. Take your normal waist size; ski shells already allow room for a base layer underneath. Shape: regular to slightly relaxed, with ski and work pants cut for movement.
Brand facts
Helly Hansen is a Norwegian outdoor and workwear label founded in 1877 in Moss by sea captain Helly Juell Hansen, now headquartered in Oslo. It builds sailing, ski, mountain and professional workwear lines around proprietary technologies including LIFA base layers and the PFC-free LIFA INFINITY PRO waterproof membrane, seen in Odin and Verglas shells alongside the long-running Crew jacket. Kontoor Brands, owner of Wrangler and Lee, completed its purchase of the business from Canadian Tire on May 31, 2025 for roughly CAD 1.3 billion, and is pushing US expansion. Sister lines include Helly Hansen Workwear and Musto.
- Founded
- 1877
- Origin
- Moss, Norway
- Made in
- China
- Price
- $$$
- Focus
- Unisex
- Facts checked
- August 2026
- Styles
- Gorpcore / Outdoor, Minimalist / Contemporary, Techwear, Avant-garde, Athleisure / Sportswear