Inherited Bunad – Care, Assessment and Gentle Renewal

Assess the condition first

Before doing anything, go over the garment carefully, seam by seam. A calm assessment tells you what is needed – and what to stay away from.

• Wool: look for moth holes, thinning areas, and larvae or eggs hiding in folds and seams.
• Soiling and old stains: overall yellowing or set-in marks.
• Seams and thread: weak, rotted or opening seams.
• Embroidery: loose, worn or missing threads.
• Silver: tarnish, bent parts, missing dangles (løv), broken pins or catches.
• Fit against the new wearer, and traces of earlier repairs or alterations.

Gentle freshening at home

Some of it you can safely do yourself – but remember that the wool body is never washed at home.

1. Air the bunad in fresh air, out of sun and damp, so the wool freshens and any odour lifts.
2. At the slightest suspicion of moths: pack the garment tightly and freeze it at around −18 °C for several days before it goes near other wool.
3. Brush gently with a soft clothes brush to lift dust – well clear of embroidery and silver.
4. Hand-wash the linen shirt and apron gently if they are genuine linen or cotton and colourfast.

The silver – polish by finish

Old bunad silver must be cared for according to its finish, or you can ruin a look that was meant to be there. Bright (blankt) silver can be buffed gently with a silver cloth. Oxidised (oksidert) silver has dark areas on purpose – do not polish them away, and never use a silver dip, which strips the oxidation in seconds. Gilded (forgylt) silver has a thin gold layer – only a very gentle wipe with a soft cloth, no polishing compounds. Store the silver separately, dry and airtight, never with rubber bands, which tarnish it. Deep tarnish, oxidised and gilded silver, and broken or loose parts are a job for a goldsmith.

Refit to a new wearer

Thanks to the generous seam allowances, an inherited bunad can usually be let out or taken in and the hem adjusted to fit a new person – reversibly, by a professional. The principle is to preserve, not cut away, so the garment can be adjusted again or handed on later. Embroidery, trims and the original hem are worked around, not through, and the balance, proportions and regional correctness are kept. Your bunad may differ from others – if unsure, check with whoever made it.

Leave the renewal to professionals

If the wool body needs cleaning, moth holes need reweaving, loose embroidery and seams need securing, the silver needs proper care, or the bunad needs refitting to a new wearer, this is professional work – and on an heirloom it is the wise route. Send the bunad to us across Norway, and we renew it gently with respect for the original handwork and regional identity, without modernising it away. Describe what you want – for example cleaning, reweaving, alteration or silver polishing – in the comment field, and you see the price before you order. If the bunad needs to be ready for an occasion, be early ahead of 17 May.

Frequently asked questions