Sysleriget: From kitchen sink to global yarn brand

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Anne Kring

What began as a small, experimental project at a kitchen sink has grown into an internationally recognised yarn brand with reach stretching from Denmark to China. Today, Sysleriget is based in Risskov, just outside beautiful Aarhus, where founder Malene Mortensen’s high energy and passion for hand-dyeing continue to shape a business that is steadily expanding.

There is an immediacy to Malene Mortensen’s presence that reflects the drive behind her business’s success. During the interview, she wears a finely knitted sweater in softly shifting tones – the kind of nuanced colour play only hand-dyed yarn can achieve – while a colourful ongoing knitting project is draped over the edge of a table in the background. What began as a hobby has long since taken over both her work life and much of her free time. “Prior to taking up hand-dyeing, I had spent around 25 hours a week training for triathlons,” she says, before adding with a laugh: “But at some point, I realised that I would rather spend my time with yarn.”

Today, her company employs a small team, operates both a web shop and a physical store in Risskov, and supplies retailers across Europe and beyond – including emerging markets in Asia.

Sysleriget: From kitchen sink to global yarn brand

From experimentation to enterprise

The origins of Sysleriget can be traced back to a moment of realisation. Having encountered hand-dyed yarn in a store, Mortensen was struck both by its beauty and its staggering price tag. But rather than accepting it as out of reach, she decided to try colouring it herself. “I thought: if others can do it, then so can I – so I started experimenting at home with food colouring and vinegar in my kitchen sink, and before long people were asking if they could buy it,” she recalls.

Sysleriget: From kitchen sink to global yarn brand

What began informally soon developed into a business. Initially run alongside her work as a retirement advisor, Sysleriget grew to a point where continuing both was no longer feasible. The decision to leave a stable career was significant, but for Mortensen it was also necessary. “I wanted to practice what I preached as a retirement advisor – don’t wait to follow your dreams. I didn’t want to sit as an 80-year-old and wonder what would’ve happened if I’d taken the leap,” she explains.

Opening a physical store in 2021 marked another milestone, transforming the business from a home-based operation into a visible brand.

Sysleriget: From kitchen sink to global yarn brand

Colour, material and individuality

At the heart of Sysleriget lies a distinctive approach to colour. With a palette of more than 100 shades in rotation, Mortensen works intuitively, drawing inspiration from a wide range of sources. “Inspiration can come from anywhere,” she says. “It might be a photograph, or just something that happens when colours mix.”

The materials themselves are carefully selected. The focus is on protein fibres such as merino wool, and silk mohair, chosen for both their dyeing properties and tactile qualities. “If I don’t like working with a yarn myself, I won’t use it,” Mortensen explains.

This focus on quality and control has also shaped the development of a new product line. Mortensen set out to develop her own factory-dyed collection in partnership with an Italian spinner with whom she has had an ongoing collaboration. “I’ve been asking them for years,” she says. “They kept saying no – that they couldn’t make it the way I wanted. But I knew exactly what I was looking for, so I just kept asking. After five years, they finally agreed.”

The result is a collection of 16 colours, developed to match her hand-dyed palette while offering a consistent alternative and expected to launch in the autumn.

Founder and owner of Sysleriget, Malene Mortensen.

Growth rooted in craft and identity

While Sysleriget has grown into an international business, its philosophy remains grounded in a hands-on approach to craft and production. At the same time, the brand has expanded its reach significantly. Retailers now span multiple countries, including China, where interest in Scandinavian craft and aesthetics is growing rapidly. “The Chinese middle class is looking towards Scandinavia,” Mortensen explains. “They see what we do here – the designers, the yarn, the whole aesthetic – and they want to be part of that.”

Despite this global presence, growth is approached with caution. For Mortensen, expansion is not an end in itself, but a balance between ambition and sustainability. “Of course, it would be exciting to grow even more,” she says. “But it also has to make sense. I’d rather build a solid business, a good place to work for myself and my team, than grow just for the sake of growth.”

In that sense, Sysleriget continues to reflect its origins. Its international reach may be growing, but its foundation remains firmly rooted in a quintessentially Scandinavian approach – where a work life driven by passion goes hand in hand with quality and individuality.